Fall With Me
by Melodious Authoress
Summary: You know, they say to hold something dear is to let it hold you, and they say you can love someone so much... But you can never love people as much as you can miss them... Mentions of death/suicide, abuse, sex and rape
1. Chapter 1

I am standing on top of the station clock tower. It was dark and raining. I am looking down at someone, and they are shouting up at me. I whisper something, but I couldn't understand it. There were words coming out of my mouth, but I didn't know what I was saying. It was incomprehensible noise. The person on the ground started shouting more frantically as I put a foot over the edge.

"I'm sorry." I somehow manage to say as I step off. I'm so calm as the ground rushes towards me. I accept that I am going to die. Suddenly I'm screaming. I realize I am now the person who was already on the ground. I'm screaming and watching my other body fall, not looking away as it smacks the ground. There was a horrid, sickening crunch as the body connected with the pavement. I run over to the crumpled, bloody body. Sobbing, I hold the corpse. I look down at what used to be my face. It's not exactly my face anymore. It's _her_ face. Those big beautiful blue eyes blankly accusing me. '_You weren't there when I needed you.'_ Her voice echoes through my head. _'This is all your fault. You should have been there.' _She suddenly reached up and grabbed me by the throat, strangling me. There was a deafening crack of thunder.

"You should have been there for me!" She hissed, bloody face twisted into a vicious snarl. I jerked, suddenly staring at the ceiling of my bedroom. I sat up, face wet with tears and sweat. I threw the drenched comforter to the side and got out of bed. Shielding my eyes from the sun's blinding light shining through the curtains, I stumbled out into the hall and made my way to the bathroom to retch.

"Fourth time this week." I sighed, leaning on the sink while blinking blearily at my reflection. I looked like shit. Sighing again, I shuffled back to my room and threw myself on the bed. I didn't bother fighting the fresh tears that burned my eyes. I buried my face in the pillow to muffle the sobs. I cried and cried until my throat was raw, then kept crying until I had neither the tears nor the energy to continue, essentially crying myself to sleep. Thankfully I had no other nightmares. When I awoke again, I was assaulted by the smell of burnt bacon. Curious, I threw on a shirt and went to investigate. Following the smell downstairs, I ventured to the kitchen where I found Lightning unpacking plastic to-go bags.

"Morning." I croaked as I walked past her to the fridge. She went still, clearing her throat when I came across the charred scraps of bacon stuck to a pan. Lightning crumpled up the empty bags before thrusting a box into my hands while snatching the burnt pan from me.

"Here." She commanded, lightly shoving me towards the table. "I figured you could use something to eat." She added softly. I frowned as I took a seat.

"Did I wake you?" I asked before opening the box and taking a bite of turkey bacon.

"Yes." Light answered simply before scrubbing furiously at the charred pan. "…But don't worry. There's no harm done."

"But don't you have to go on patrol soon?"

"Yes, but stop worrying, you haven't done anything wrong." She said before giving a frustrated grunt as she struggled to clean the pan. She gave another grunt halfway through breakfast before marching upstairs. Shaking my head, I stuffed the last bit of waffle in my mouth before going to the sink and filling the pan with hot water. Lightning came back down just as I was throwing my styrofoam plate in the trash.

"You didn't even eat." I remarked.

"Oh… Well things happen." She mumbled while fastening her rank pauldron to her shoulder. "Look…" She stepped towards me and put a gloved hand on my shoulder. "Are you going to be okay today?"

I nodded, giving a small smile to confirm. "I'll be alright, honest. I… I just still need some time…" Light opened her mouth to say something more, but her cell phone went off. She frowned a bit upon seeing who it was. She stepped away to answer the call. I took the chance to put her untouched breakfast in the microwave.

"What do you want? No. And I'm not your sister." She snapped. I fought the urge to snort. That could be only one person. No wonder she frowned. Snow had to be one of Light's least favorite people at the moment. "No. I don't have time for your shenanigans today." She barked into the phone. "No! How many times do…" She stopped for a moment before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. She turned to me. "Roxas, do you work today?"

"Not for another couple of hours. Why?" I answered while unballing one of the bags and sticking her plate in it.

"I need you to give this moron a ride to the hospital. I don't have time to do it."

"That and you don't really want to." I grinned, earning a small smile from her. "Yeah, I guess I'll do it." In all honesty, I wasn't that fond of Snow either. He was too loud and obnoxious, and he thinks he knows everything. After she hung up, Light gave me a brief hug and took the bag containing her breakfast from my hands before leaving for work. I was suddenly aware of how painfully quiet it was in the house as I went back upstairs. Stopping at the door next to my room, I sighed and lightly placed a hand on it. The wood was cold. Sighing again, I shook my head and continued on to the bathroom for a shower.

I let my mind wander as the warm water beat down on my head. I wonder if Light has nightmares like I do? It seems like she has her days, but she tries to play it off so I won't worry about her. Sometimes she looks so haggard and dead in the mornings, with horrible dark circles and no energy. Poor thing blames herself for what happened to Serah, and no one can convince her to believe anything else.

Serah and Lightning had gotten into a fight on Light's birthday when Serah broke the news to big sister that Snow proposed. Light was furious to say the least. She refused to support the engagement and accused Serah of ruining her twenty-first birthday. Serah ran off in tears and was found in a café bathroom unconscious a few hours later. Ever since she's been having terrifying and randomly timed seizures, and now she can't even leave the hospital due to the severity of the seizures.

Light hasn't been the same ever since. I would say she's lucky though. At least she can still see Serah. At least she still got to apologize. At least she can still talk to her, hug her and be forgiven. I don't have the same luxury. It was taken from me. Taken by the very person I needed and wanted so desperately to forgive me…

**XxxxxxxxxX**

** Hello dearies! Long time no story yes? So here we are again! Let's hope you enjoy this and let's hope I can finish this one this time! **

**In all honesty I feel that this one is a little heavier than what I usually write. Please let me know how you like it and all that jazz! So review review review please and thank you! And stay tuned!****  
**

**Yours,  
**

**Melodious Authoress  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"I would very much appreciate it if your gargantuan ass would resist the need to tear up my car." I snapped as Snow plunked down in the passenger seat and forced it all the way back. He just grinned and waved me away, complaining that I shouldn't have such a small car in the first place. He soon started chattering on about his little group of vigilante hoodlums, a topic I didn't have much to contribute to since frankly I didn't give two shits.

"Remember not to excite her too much." I said as I found a parking spot in the hospital's parking deck. I found the spot quickly enough and before I even had a chance to turn the car off, Snow was out, slamming the door behind him. Scowling, I got out, making sure to lock the doors, and caught up to Snow. "_Hey_! Did you hear what I told you?" I hissed, frowning up at him.

"Yeah yeah, don't tear up your little car. Gotcha." He answered, looking down at me with that stupid ass grin of his.

"No stupid, what I told you about _Serah_! Don't get her too excited! You don't want to be the reason she has another episode."

"Oh yeah. Right, of course. Listen, you don't have to worry about anything. I know how to take care of my Serah."

"Fine ass job you've done then." I mumbled as we made our way into the building and to the front desk. After checking in and getting name tags, a nurse took us to Serah's room. She looked so small and frail among all the pillows surrounding her head and shoulders. She smiled weakly when we came in.

"Serah!" The giant bellowed, stomping over to the bed. I could do nothing but shake my head. He's going to be the death of this girl. I sat in the chair near the door and started watching the TV mounted in the corner to give them some time to talk. I may not like Snow that much but I've still got manners.

"So Roxas, how have you been?" Serah asked, smiling softly at me.

"I've been okay… How about you? How have you been feeling?" I replied, going to stand at the side of her bed.

"Well nothing's happened in a few days, thank goodness. My appetite is starting to pick up again too. How's Lightning? I haven't seen her in a while.

"Ah, well that's good news." I said with a small smile. "Light's alright. As in to her work as she always is."

Serah managed a small laugh. "She's going to work herself into the ground. I wish she didn't think she has to work so hard, but we all know we can't convince her otherwise." She sighed before fixing me with one of her stern looks. Serah may appear to be sweet and innocent but she can be downright mean and nasty sometimes. "Roxas, are you sure you've been alright? You've got that funny aura around you again."

I looked down and chewed on my lip, not wanting to say anything in front of her big lummox of a fiancé. As if reading my mind, Serah turned to Snow and asked him to bring her something sweet. Once he was gone, Serah was staring me down again.

"Come on Rox, what's the matter?"

I sighed, fiddling with the strings on my hoodie. "I had another nightmare… A really disturbing one… I… I was her, and I jumped off the clock tower. Then suddenly I was myself again and I watched her jump and hit the ground like before… S-she… She had said it was my fault… A-and after she jumped… s-she came back to life and strangled me… Then I woke up…" I shuddered after finishing the story.

"Oh Roxas…" Serah said softly, placing a warm hand on top of mine, which had gone clammy. "Roxas, it wasn't your fault and you know she would never want you to think that, let alone actually say that to you."

"Yeah…" I sighed, still chewing on my lip.

"You know she would never blame you like that. Even when she was still with us she didn't blame you. Not one bit. You've got to stop blaming yourself." She said, patting my hand. I nodded, blinking back stinging tears.

"Now Roxas," Serah began, squeezing my arm to get me to look at her. "You know I love you and I don't mean to sound heartless but it's been two years…" She reached out and moved her hand to my shoulder. "It's time to move on. She would have wanted you to move on by now. Trust me. I'm only telling you this because I care about you and I want to see you happy, okay?"

"Serah I swear… You're probably the only person who would be in the hospital worrying about everyone else but herself." I said to her with a small laugh.

"Well you know me." She replied with a soft smile. "Now don't change the subject. We've got to find you a date."

"A date?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Serah you need to be focused on getting better." I said with a frown.

"Oh shush. Oh, you know my nurse is pretty cute!" Sarah waved my comment away before reaching for the nurse buzzer.

"Who's pretty cute?" Snow asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway. For once I was thankful to see the big guy.

"My nurse. I thought Roxas might like her." Serah answered, shooting me a sly look out of the corner of her eye. I just shook my head. I don't know what I'm going to do with this girl.

"Oh. Here you go, I found you some strawberry Jell-O." Snow handed her a little container and returned the smile she gave him.

"Thank you Snow. But there's just one more thing."

"What's that dearest?"

"You didn't bring me a spoon." Serah answered with an amused smile. I snorted at the look on the big dope's face as he left to go find a spoon.

"Serah, I don't really think I'm ready for a relationship just yet…" I said once I was sure Snow was nowhere near. "Especially in the light of… the… well... everything."

"Yeah, okay. I get it… By the way, have you two spoken since?" She asked, watching me carefully.

I shook my head. "No. He eventually stopped contacting me, and the one time I went back to his house, he had a few choice words for me. So that bridge is beyond burned." I frowned a bit while playing that day over in my head.

"Oh I see…. Well Roxas, like I said, you've got to move on sooner or later." I opened my mouth to argue but she cut me off. "Rox, you haven't gone out and had fun in forever. Now that's no way to live. Promise me you'll try and make at least a friendly connection with someone."

I sighed, watching Serah as she set her jaw in that stubborn way of hers. There was no point in protesting any further. "Fine, fine. I'll try, okay?"

Serah smiled and nodded. She then changed the subject and we sat and chatted about nothing in particular until Snow came back with a spoon. Serah ate half and gave the rest to the big guy, who gobbled it down like a monster. I enjoy spending time here, though I usually come alone to visit. I must admit that it has been sad and a bit lonely without having my dear cousin in the house when Light's gone, and I miss her on a regular basis. I got upset when a nurse came by and demanded that we let Serah rest. I gave her a hug and a quick peck on the cheek before standing in the hall so she could have a moment with her fiancé. Once they said their goodbyes, I checked out and took Snow to his hoodlum headquarters before heading back home.

Once home, I was greeted by the painful silence in the house. Checking the time as I went upstairs, I decided to take a nap before I had to go to work since I didn't get a decent night's rest. Once I got to my room, I kicked my shoes off and dropped down on the bed. Lying on my back, I pulled my phone from my pocket and set an alarm before rolling onto my side and flipping through the gallery. I froze on the last picture, chewing on the side of my lip as I looked at the last picture I took of her… Those big blue eyes crinkled up in a smile I'd never see again…

"Xion…" I whispered, placing my phone, screen down, on the pillow. "It _is_ my fault…"

**XxxxxxxxxX**

** Hello again! Here we are with another chapter. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know! So review please and thank you!  
**

**Yours,  
**

**Melodious Authoress  
**


	3. Chapter 3

After waking up from the nap, I washed my face and threw on my work clothes. I shut the faucet off and looked at myself. Sighing, I set to work on trying to maintain the unruly spikes on my head, but they were having none of that today. Sighing in defeat, I went to my room to gather up my things for the day. I put my keys on the hook by the front door, deciding to walk to work today since the weather seemed nice enough. Halfway through my walk I started to regret the decision.

I got caught in the cold rain while still a ways from work. Fucking A.

From the shelter of a tiny tram stop awning, I scowled up at the dark grey clouds, wanting them to go away this very instant. The rain was doing nothing for my shit mood. Sighing, I brushed the wet hair from my forehead, both thankful and upset that only my hair got wet. It already had a mind of its own, and I was stupid enough not to put my hood up. This is what I get for not taking my car… I sat on the little metal bench, listening to the drum of the rain on the awning. I used to love listening to the rain, but not so much anymore… It usually brings up the bad memories…

I shook my head vigorously, trying to shake the negativity away. I sat and waited for the rain to slack up some before flipping my hood up and sprinting the rest of the way to Dolce. I apologized to my boss for my appearance as I ran back to the employee area for a towel. I snatched one off of a shelf and dried the mess that I called hair as thoroughly as possible before attempting to style it again. It still wasn't the same when I was finished, but it'll have to do. I hung my hoodie on the coat rack, picked up an apron and got to work. I am a host and waiter here at Dolce. Sort of a fancy place I guess. I mean the guests didn't have to show up in suits and gowns, but the atmosphere and décor was swanky. Good place for a dinner date, or a place that fat women have those two hour long lunch get-togethers. Speaking of, three of them just walked in. The lunch rush was excessively hectic today, which is usually due to the business people who come. I find the women most annoying, constantly trying to flirt. No bitch, I am not interested.

After the lunch rush finally cleared out Olette, a friend/ co-worker, and I sat down for some lunch of our own. Olette's a nice girl, a bit of a busy body though. She also thinks God has charged her with the role as my own personal Cupid and that true love is the meaning of life… She means well, but she tries too hard and it gets very annoying, very quickly.

"So Rox, found anyone special yet?" She asked while stirring her tea with a straw.

"No I haven't, nor have I been looking. Have _you_?" I shot back.

"Oh Roxas please, this isn't about me. You've got to find someone soon, or else!"

"Or else what, I'll die unhappy and alone?" I retorted through a mouthful of spinach. She nodded, giving me a sympathetic look, to which I just rolled my eyes. "Olette, my search for a significant other isn't as important as yours is. Plus, I've got a lot of heavy stuff going on right now, or did you forget?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Oh Roxas I just want you to be happy! You know I care for you like my own brother!"

"You've been talking to my cousin again haven't you? Now look, we've got customers coming in." I stood and collected our plates, taking them to the kitchen. I returned to the podium up front and seated a group of girls who wouldn't stop whispering and giggling every time I passed by their table. Rolling my eyes, I went to seat a few more people trickling in at the beginning of dinner. After delivering the giggling girls' plates, Olette nudged me on my way back to the kitchen.

"Roxas, I'm sorry but look who's in your section." She nodded her head towards my section and I followed her gaze to the table in the corner. It felt like my heart clenched up into a knot.

"Who the hell put him there?" I hissed. "And who the hell is that with him?"

"I don't know who that is but he requested that table over there so… now you're stuck with him. Sorry Rox.

"Olette! You didn't try to talk him out of it!? What's the matter with you!" I cried, grabbing her by the shoulders.

She knocked my hands away and crossed her arms. "Well I'm sorry, but I tried! He specifically asked to sit there!"

I turned away, cursing under my breath as I grudgingly made my way to the table, trying my best to look anywhere but at _him_. "Hello, welcome to Dolce. My name is Roxas and I will be your server tonight. Can I—"

"Well well, look who it is."

"Yes, hello Vanitas." I said, cutting a glance out of the corner of my eyes. He had the vilest expression on his face. "Now, can I get you all anything to drink?" The blonde guy and brunette guy sitting on the other side of the table ordered Cokes, and the girl sandwiched between Vanitas and the wall ordered a peach tea. Vanitas ordered a Sprite. When I turned to leave, I felt my foot catch on something. Looking down, I saw him withdraw his foot. I wanted to turn and knock his ass out of that booth. But I need this job…

"I saw that!" Olette exclaimed, leaning against the drink station. "Do you want me to go over there and give him a piece of my mind? I'll do it ya'know!" She emphasized her point by holding up a fist.

"No, no don't worry about it. I doubt I'll ever see him again after this." I said while arranging the drinks on a tray. "I've just got to get through this shift." I told her over my shoulder as I went back to the table. I had to resist the biggest urge to spit in that Sprite though.

"Are you ready to order?" I asked while pulling my little notepad out. While scribbling everyone's orders I felt something hit my forehead before dropping down on the paper in front of me. I heard a snicker. It was a balled up straw wrapper. Sighing, I flicked it away and continued with the orders. I turned to leave he tripped me up again. Come on Roxas, keep your cool. He'll leave and you won't see him ever again. Just keep telling yourself that….

Gritting my teeth, I kept going and dropped the orders off at the kitchen. "Olette I think I'm gonna lose it. If he trips me one more time I swear." I groaned, massaging my temples. "He's such a dick."

"Well you were the one who—" Olette clamped her mouth shut after I shot her a look. "U-um looks like he's into girls again." She said, peeking in between the plants on the low wall dividing the dining room and server area.

Scoffing, I stood next to her and watched them all. "I guess I scared him back into it. Who is she anyway? I've never seen her around before."

"No idea. She sure is pretty though isn't she?" Olette said, leaning further through the plants.

"No comment. And you're killing that flower." I said, pulling her hand away from the now bent flower patch.

"Oh so Roxas isn't sure if he's into tacos or saus—"

"Yo, Roxas order up!" The cook, Aladdin, called while shoving four plates into the window. I gave my nosey brunette friend a look before scooping up the plates and taking them over to the table. I distributed them and managed to get away without being tripped. I swung past the table those stupid girls were at, grabbing my tip and a signed receipt that also had phone numbers written on the back. Rolling my eyes, I showed Olette and we joked about it while I entered it in the system before we went our separate ways to tend to other tables. Every so often I would watch Vanitas' table, and it seemed each time I looked, the girl he was sitting with was becoming increasing displeased.

Soon everyone starting clearing out as it was nearing closing time. I was about to go clock out when I noticed Vanitas and his friends were still here. Sighing, I went over.

"Did everyone enjoy their meal? Anyone need a to-go box or anything?"

"No. But hey Roxas, let me ask you something." Vanitas said, smirking at me.

I shifted uncomfortably, but nodded. "Yeah okay, what is it?"

"How's it going with that bitch of yours? Oh yeah, that's right… She's _dead. _ She killed herself because she couldn't stand to put up with your sorry ass." He sneered.

It felt as if I'd been slapped across the face. I stood there, dumbstruck, fighting the stinging tears, my chest tightening up as my resolve crumbled. The blonde and brunette guys cringed and looked down.

"I-I… um…" My mouth went dry and I could feel the tears flowing down my face. I couldn't get my brain to form a comeback, let alone leave. I was rooted to the spot.

"You pathetic faggot." He hissed, moving to get up. I was startled back to reality when quite suddenly he flew out of the booth, landing on his hands and knees at my feet. "What the hell?" He barked, scrambling to stand.

"No _you're_ pathetic, you bastard." The girl spat, sliding out of the booth and shoving him away. "How _dare_ you say that? We're through you piece of shit." She hissed before turning to me and pulling me away by my hand. "I'm so sorry. Here." She pressed the bill and some money into my palm before going through the doors. The two other guys soon came scrambling after her. Olette soon appeared by my side, shaking me gently and asking questions but I didn't respond.

Vanitas came storming past, shoving me out of the way.

"Hey! You touch him again and I'm calling the cops on you!" Olette barked after him before leading me to a register. I sat down on the stool and stared at the floor through watery eyes. My throat felt raw and my mind was blank. Olette was saying things to me but I didn't answer. I could feel her leading me by the hand. I was aware of being in her car.

"Rox… I've taken you to your cousin's house but… Are you sure you don't want to spend the night at my place?" I looked at her, worry lines creasing her face. I shrugged. "Okay well… try and get some sleep… and don't do anything crazy, alright?" I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me. I stumbled up to the front door and clumsily let myself in, slamming the front door too. I automatically made for my room but Lightning appeared, stopping me.

"Why are you slamming doors?" She was angry until she saw my face. Her expression softened and she put her hands on my shoulders. "Roxas are you alright?

"No." I deadpanned before brushing past her and running up the steps, ignoring her calls. I closed and locked the door behind me before throwing myself onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow and crying as hard as possible I cried until I exhausted myself and fell asleep.

I had several nightmares about Xion that night.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**Hello my dear roses! Originally I had Riku in Vanitas' place but I can't really fit Riku in anywhere else, so Vanitas is a much better choice here. I hope I haven't confused anyone, and I also hope to get deeper into Roxas' past and things of the like very soon (Just in case anyone happens to be confused!) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know in a review please and thank you!  
**

**Yours,**

**Melodious Authoress.**


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up feeling terrible, with what had to be the worst headache I've had in my life. It felt like someone was digging around in my head with a screwdriver. Groaning, I rolled over and pulled the quilt over my face while curling up into a ball. I stayed like that for at least an hour until my limbs protested and I had to stretch. I spent the majority of the day in bed, only getting up once to see if Lightning was home and twice to use the bathroom. Most of the time I lay there feeling sorry for myself. Why did I have to see Vanitas again? I thought for sure he had moved… Sighing, I curled back up and tried to get some sleep.

I must have been asleep for quite a while because it was dark when I woke up. Yawning, I sat up and was greeted with a sweet, familiar smell. Clicking the lamp on, I discovered a small bag of doughnut holes sitting on the nightstand with a small note scribbled near the top of the bag.

'_Feel better  
—Lightning '_

Ah she knows me so well. Smiling a little, I swung my legs out of bed, grabbed the bag and padded downstairs to the kitchen. I popped the whole bag in the microwave and poured a glass of milk. Grabbing my treats, I went back to my room and jumped on the bed. I popped a doughnut hole in my mouth and flipped the T.V on, flicking through trying to find _something_ good. Munching on another sugary ball of goodness, I got comfortable and stopped on the food channel. Halfway through Good Eats I noticed my cup was dangerously low on milk, and I was burning through my doughnuts pretty fast. I snatched the glass up and went back to the kitchen for more. Once I had my milk, I returned to my room. My phone 'dinged' the minute I came back through the door. I grabbed it and discovered it was a missed call from Olette. The very _second_ I hit redial, the doorbell rang in rapid fire, accompanied with several bangs on the front door.

A little unnerved, I went to the door and stood on my tiptoes to look through the peephole. Olette stood there, frowning at the peephole. I stood back and opened the front door.

"Why didn't you answer my call!? Oh goodness, I thought you had done something st—"

"Olette, you didn't even give me time to call back." I said to her as she walked past me into the house. "Besides, what is it you thought I could be doing? I'm not going to kill myself…"

"Roxas, I was worried. I hadn't heard from you all day." She turned and looked at me all teary eyed. She reached out and hugged me tight.

"Geez Olette, calm down… All this from one missed call?"

"I was worried." She repeated with a sniffle.

"Well thanks and all, but I'm fine." I said, flopping down on the couch. Olette immediately grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me off of the couch.

"Oh no no no, get up."

"But why?"

"Because I'm taking you out. Now get up!"

"What? No, I don't wanna." I protested, relaxing into dead weight.

"I don't care. You've been in the house all day, and we haven't gone out and had fun in a while." She grunted, struggling to pull me from the couch. "Plus it'll cheer you up, I promise! Come ooooooooooooon! Rooooooooxaaaaaaaaaaas!" Olette whined nonstop until I finally gave in.

"Fine, _fine_! Just stop with the noise!" I said while getting up and going upstairs. I did a quick wash up, and went back to my room to find my dear brunette friend sprawled across my bed on her back, head hanging off the edge.

"Is your cousin home?" She asked, looking at me upside down.

"No. But if she was, she'd have let you have it for making all that noise." I answered before yanking my t-shirt off and pulling a button down out of my closet.

Olette righted herself and wrinkled her nose at me. "Ew, don't wear that."

"And why not?"

"Because, that's not something you wear when you're going drinking."

"We're going drinking? Olette, if we both get drunk how are we going to get home?"

"That's easy, just don't get drunk." She got up and went rummaging through my closet. "Now here, wear this instead." She presented me with a black graphic V-neck.

"Lucky. This is one of my favorite shirts." I said before pulling it on. "Now turn around. You're not allowed to see my ass."

"Please, what ass?" She said, but tuned away nonetheless. Discarding my sweatpants, I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans then began looking for some socks and a pair of shoes. "Hurry up grandma, I swear you take longer than I do."

"Oh shut up, I'm almost done. I just have to do my hair."

"Your hair looks fine, now let's go." Olette shoved her hand in my pocket and essentially dragged me out of the room. I barely had enough time to grab my phone and wallet.

"You must really want a drink." I remarked as we headed for the door.

"Kind of. But I think you need one more than I do. Remember that time that one guy broke up with you and you drank vodka like it was air for a week and a half? You were so hammered you couldn't even form a decent sentence."

"You make me sound like an alcoholic." I remarked as we got into Olette's little green car. "Besides if I remember correctly, wasn't it _you _who was so shitfaced at the parties we went to in high school?"

"Hmph, I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway that's all in the past. One or two drinks won't do us any harm will it?" She asked, grinning over at me.

"I guess not." I said, grinning a little myself. How very wrong I was.

We had been in the small club for all of an hour and Olette was already completely drunk. I'll admit I was a little tipsy, but at least I wasn't all over the place making a complete fool of myself. To make matters worse, Olette gets loose lips when she's drunk. She had gone all over the place telling men and women alike that I was single and could use some company. I had several women approach me then get rather upset once I shot them down. What was more annoying than anything were the men. They wouldn't take no for an answer and kept coming back. The only good coming from it was at least the men bought me drinks. After the third Russian Cream, I could feel my inhibitions crumble away and I began blabbering away to anyone who came up to me. Most of them got bored and soon wandered away. By the time I bored the fifth guy away, I started to feel quite drunk. I groaned and put my cheek on the cool counter.

"Hey there, you alright?"

I looked up blearily to find a rather handsome man. He had the most beautiful rosy colored hair, and a devilishly handsome twist in his smile.

"Y-yeah… Jus a lil' uh.. Lil tipsy is all…" I mumbled, sitting up and propping my head on my hand.

"Mm is that so? Mind if I sit?" He asked, gesturing to the stool next to me.

"Yeah whatever..." I said before letting out a burp. "Oh geez, m'sorry."

The man just laughed and shook his head. "No it's fine. So why've you been sitting over here by yourself this whole time? Aren't you with someone?" He leaned against the bar, watching me.

"Oh yeah, but she's off somewhere here totes drunk off her ass…"

"Are you two a thing?"

"A thing?" I asked, blinking at the handsome man stupidly. "Oh no no no. Sh-she's my best friend... She talked me into comin' out since I've been depressed lately."

"Oh yeah? Well then, mind if I buy you a drink to cheer you up?"

"Yeah whatever, that's cool." I said before turning to scan the place to try and find Olette. I was ready to go home.

"Here you go." The man handed me another Russian Cream.

"How did you know I like these?" I asked before taking a sip.

"Well you've got two empty glasses there. Just putting two and two together. So, have you got a name?"

I hesitated for a moment. I don't really know this guy, why does he want to know my name? The promise I made to Serah floated into my mind… Well I said I'd at least try… "Mm hmm." I hummed while downing my drink. "Roxas."

The pink haired man smiled. "So Roxas, I couldn't help but notice you had a lot of people approaching you tonight. You sure seem to be popular."

"Only because of Olette. She gets loose lips and blabbered to everyone here that I'm single. She's just trying to help but it gets annoying." I explained while fiddling with the now empty glass. "I'm surprised she didn't get to you." I added, to which he just chuckled.

"Sounds like a good friend you've got there."

"I guess… I don't see here anywhere, and she's my ride home. I think.. I think she might have left without me." I said, scanning the crowd again.

"Oh, well that's no good. If you like, I can take you home, free of charge." Handsome Man said, flashing me a smile.

"Oh thanksh b-but I could prolly call my cousin to—to come and get meh… B-besided I wouldn't wanna throw up in a shtrangersh car…" I slurred. "I means I am pretty drunk now."

"Come now, it's no trouble at all. Honest. Especially since your friend left you here."

I watched the guy for a second, everything looking fuzzy. I probably wouldn't be able to see the numbers on my phone, let alone make sense trying to tell Lightning where I was. "Mmm, okays. I'll um.. you can takes me home." I stood and nearly fell over. The pink haired man caught me by the arm and smiled down at me.

"Are you sure you're old enough to be drinking? You are a tiny thing, aren't you?"

I glared up at him. "Now you looks h-here… I'm twenty-two yearsssss old mister… mister… Handshome Man." I was slurring pretty bad and saying stupid shit as he led me through the building and to the front door. My limbs felt heavy and my head was swimming. "I think I had too much to drink…" I mumbled as the guy lead me to his SUV. He opened the back door and suddenly shoved me in, slamming the door behind me. I was disoriented and confused, as well as quite drunk.

"H-hey, where are we going? Y-you don' even know where I l-live." I said, struggling to sit up as he started the car and drove off. My arms felt so heavy I couldn't even grab onto the seat to pull myself up. The car came to an abrupt stop and the pink haired man got out, opened the back door and pulled me out before opening the hatch and throwing me in the back. I landed in a heap on a seedy looking mattress. He reached over, dropped the back seat down and climbed in, closing the hatch behind him. He peeled his shirt off before reaching for my own shirt.

Realization dawned on me, snapping me out of my haze for a moment, I tried to roll away, but my body hardly listened and I managed to flop over an inch or so. Panicking I struggled to crawl away, but he grabbed my ankle and dragged me back.

"Where are you going Roxas? I thought you wanted some cheering up?" He said with a terrifying grin on his face as he yanked my shirt off. He unbuttoned my jeans and started to slide them off. Out of sheer terror and adrenaline rush, I managed to jerk my legs and kick him square in the chest. I rolled over, screaming for help, and tried to make for the door but he jerked me back towards him and held me down by my throat. Gasping for air, I struggled to get his hands off of me when a sudden white hot starburst of pain bloomed on the left side of my face which was shortly followed by another on the right side. Darkness closed in on my vision. I could feel my underwear being yanked off. I could feel him touching all over me as I drifted into unconsciousness.

**XxxX**

My head is pounding. This was for sure _the worst_ headache I've ever had in my entire life. It felt like my head was being crushed in a vise. Groaning, I rolled over and snuggled in the blankets, trying to soothe my headache. Why does my head heart so bad? Why can't I remember? Whining softly, I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. Wait, this wasn't my ceiling… I shot up, shocked and confused by my surroundings. This wasn't my room! This was _not_ Lightning's house! Scrambling out of the bed, I tripped and came crashing down on the hard floor. Turning, I saw I tripped over my clothes, folded neatly and stacked on top of my shoes which were now overturned. I looked down to find myself in someone else's shirt, and my underwear was not on my body. Panicking, I snatched my clothes up and hurriedly pulled them on. Why were my clothes off? Why was I in this shirt? Why am I here? Where _is_ here!? I snatched my wallet and keys from the nightstand and ran out in to the hall. Disoriented, I bumbled around until I found a small staircase. I ran down the stairs, stopping on the landing to try and locate the front door. I spotted and ran for the door and suddenly collided with something. I fell flat on my back, smacking my head on the floor.

"Ouch! Oh, hey I thought I heard you crashing around up there."

I scrambled to my feet, coming face to chest with a tall, skinny man. Last night came rushing back into my mind. "_YOU!_" I hissed, launching myself at him, knocking him to the ground. "You dirty snake! You piece of shit! How fucking dare you!" I ended each sentence with a punch anywhere I could land it. "I'll kill you!"

"H-ouch! Ow! Fuck! Hey hey! Calm down!" He shoved me away and grabbed my wrists in both hands. He got to his feet, leaving me dangling by the wrists. I jerked a leg out, aiming for his privates. "Hey look, calm the fuck down!" He snarled, shaking me. I glowered up at him, considering attempting another kick. "Now listen, I'm not who you think I am."

"Yeah right!" I spat while wriggling to try and get free from the vice grip on my wrists.

"I'm not! If you'll just fucking _listen_! I saw that guy throw you in the back of his truck and I just knew that was no good. So I stepped in and saved you. You were unconscious and pretty beat up. I had no idea who you were or where you lived, so I just brought you back to my place. I didn't do anything to you, but wash your face. Honest." He said. I didn't want to believe him, but he seemed sincere. After all, he didn't look like that man now that I've gotten a good look at him.

He started examining my face. "You need an ice pack." He stated simply before narrowing his eyes at me. "If I put you down, are you going to attack me like a damn rabid honey badger again?"

I tried to scowl and looked away. "No." He released my wrists and I dropped down on my feet. I frowned as much as my swollen face would allow and rubbed my wrists as I watched him go into the kitchen. I looked around the room while waiting for him to return. It was a decent place. There were some interesting decorations, but the furniture was a little boring. Lightning's place was much nicer.

"Here" He came back and handed me an ice pack wrapped in a kitchen towel. I gingerly put it up to my cheek. "Sit." He commanded, pointing to the boring looking couch. Watching him from the corner of my eye, I followed his finger to the couch and took a seat. "Are you hungry?"

I opened my mouth to say no but my stomach gave a very loud rumbling protest. I felt my cheeks grow hotter and looked down. "A little…"

He chuckled and motioned for me to sit at the island separating the kitchen and living room. "I'll make you some breakfast."

I hoisted myself up onto one of the stools and rested my free arm on the countertop, watching him cook. With his back turned, I sized him up. He was pretty tall and thin, but surprisingly quite strong. He was able to hold me up no problem. Not that I'm fat or anything. His clothes were casual enough. Worn jeans and a plain t-shirt.  
He interrupted my thoughts with a few questions on food allergies a couple times before going back to being silent. And I went back to watching him. He had his hair pulled back into a high ponytail with a few spikes sticking out here and there. It was one of the most unusual shades I've ever seen, and it made me wonder if it was natural.

He grabbed a plate, tipped the contents of the pan onto it and presented it to me. It had to be the fattest omelette I'd ever seen. "T-thanks…" I said, feeling bad about the bruise forming on his cheekbone.

"So, my little blonde rescue, have you got a name?" He asked, leaning on the opposite side of the counter.

I maneuvered a piece of the omelette between my swollen lips while watching him. I remember the last time I told some stranger my name… But I do kind of owe this guy at least that much. Who knows, maybe we can be friends… _Remember you promised Serah you'd try…_ I reminded myself.

"Roxas… My name's Roxas."

"Mm, Roxas. Real interesting name that is." He remarked , grinning at me.

I swallowed the piece of egg, still watching him carefully. "What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, you. What's your name?"

He straightened up and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filling it with orange juice before setting it next to my plate.

"The name's Axel."

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**Hello my dear roses! This chapter was a bit longer than the others and I apologize if I bored you to death.**

**I personally don't drink (nor am I old enough bahaha) and have never had the awful experience of being drugged, so I hope this did not seem strange or inaccurate or did not upset anyone in any fashion or form. **

**I also hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying the story so far! Be sure to let me know. Leave me a review, please and thank you!****  
**

**Yours,  
Melodious Authoress**


	5. Chapter 5

"Well then, Axel. I owe you a serious 'thank you'." I said before shoveling more omelette in my mouth. I was fucking starving.

He chuckled. "Mm, that much is certain. Before you oh so kindly damaged my meal ticket you little hellion," he said, his lips turning up into an amused smile as he brushed two fingers over his bruised cheek. "You managed to throw up while you were out."

I looked down sheepishly at the scraps of egg dangling off of the fork. "Oh…"

"Yeah, quite gracefully I might add. Got it all over my shoes." Axel said with a tone of disapproval before he burst out laughing, pointing at my face, which was burning hot and quite red I'm sure. "No, no I'm kidding. Luckily, you did it in the yard. Some stray will have eaten by now."

I wrinkled my nose and pushed the plate away, the thought turning my stomach. Axel reached over, scooped up the plate and set to the task of washing it. I drained the glass of orange juice, setting it on the counter. "Sorry about your face."

He reached over and grabbed the empty glass. "What kind of an apology is that? When you put it like that you make me sound ugly."

"Is that your way of fishing for complements?" I replied while switching the ice pack to the other cheek. He threw his head back and laughed.

"You smart ass. So what, I'm actually ugly then?" Axel shut the faucet off and leaned on the counter in front of me. Ignoring his question, I reached for my phone to check the time. A little alarmed to find my pocket empty, I checked the other and came up with nothing again.

"Have you seen my phone? Or do you have it?" I asked while patting myself down.

He shook his head. "Nope, sure don't. Maybe you left it at that bar."

"Well that's helpful news." I grumbled, sitting back down on the stool.

"Well why don't you give it a call and see if someone picks up?"

"It was an iphone. I doubt anyone would keep it for very long."

"Are you always this negative Roxas?" He asked, sitting a stool away from me. He pulled his own phone out. "Never know until you try, right? What's the number?" Shaking my head, I recited my number and Axel handed his phone over. It rang until it went to voicemail.

"I told you. Someone probably sold it to a pawnshop by now." I sighed, shaking my head again. Axel suggested he take me back to the bar to look but I declined. "I should probably just head home…"

"I could give you a ride if you like."

"You sure? I've caused you enough trouble already."

Axel nodded before grabbing his keys off the counter. "Sure, let's go." He slipped his shoes on and I followed him out of the front door.

Cherry red?" I asked as I walked around his car.

"What's wrong with that? I like red." He said defensively while unlocking the doors.

"I couldn't tell." I responded while getting into the car. I felt something under my foot once I was in the car. Looking down, I discovered my phone on the floorboard. I had never been more relieved. Snatching it up, I checked to make sure it was okay before unlocking it. "Well, shit." Fifteen missed calls and seven voicemails. Two calls and two voicemails from Olette. Hmph, she has the nerve to call me after abandoning me? Frowning, I deleted her messages. The rest were from Lightning. I went to click the redial button but the screen flashed for a second and then shut itself off. Oh just great.

"What's with that sourpuss face? It's really not becoming of you. You should be happy you found your phone."

"Well yeah I'm happy I found it, but it died on me, and I had a bazillion missed calls. I didn't tell Lightning where I was going last night. She's probably leveled half the city looking for me by now." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"Who's Lightning, your lady?" He asked while backing the car out of the driveway.

"What? No, of course not."

"If you say so. Okay so where to?" I explained how to get to Light's place, participating in Axel's small talk until we reached our destination.

"Thanks Axel. Like I said, I owe you big time. So if you've got nothing better to do, um I dunno maybe tomorrow? I could take you out or something."

"What, like a date?" He asked, his face spitting into a big grin.

I gaped at him. "A date?" I echoed. "No no, not a date. I mean like treating you to dinner or something like that. As thanks."

The redhead smirked, resting his arm on the middle console and the other on the steering wheel. "Still sounds like a date to me."

I furrowed my brows. "Are you flirting with me?"

That smirk grew into a devious grin. "Maybe. I mean you are easy on the eyes, even with a bruised face."

I nearly choked on my own spit. Blindsided and embarrassed by the compliment I fumbled to get out of the car. "L-listen, I'm not saying—"

"Roxas!" I was interrupted by Lightning coming out of the house. She all but sprinted over to me, seizing me by the shoulders. "Roxas, what's happened to you? Why didn't you answer or return any of my calls? Where _were_ you?"

"Light, calm down, I'm alright. Just a little banged up. Look, I'll explain everything later." I said while patting her tensed shoulders. The worry lines in her face faded and she relaxed slightly.

"Okay. Who's this?" She asked, straightening up and looking down her nose at Axel.

"This is Axel. He's helped me out a lot." I responded

"Hm. Well then, Axel was it?" Light leaned down into the passenger side of the car. "Thank you Axel, for helping Roxas."

"No problem ma'am. Just my duty as a decent human being and all that." Axel replied, waving his hand boredly. Light acknowledged his statement with a 'hn' before turning back to me.

"I've got to be back to work soon. If you want I can leave you some money to order whatever you like for dinner." She said before heading back in the house.

"Alright, thanks." I said before closing the car door and leaning through the window. "Thanks for the ride home."

"Yeah, no problem Roxas." He replied. "She sure is pretty. You smashin' that?"

My eyebrows shot up. "Ew, no. Lightning is my _cousin_." I shuddered a little at Axel's implication. I've never even seen Lighting naked. "Yuck, just the thought!"

He laughed, banging a hand on top of the steering wheel. "You should see your face!

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, see you around." I said before heading for the house. Axel honked when I reached the door. When I turned around he stuck his head out of the window and shouted "I'm looking forward to our date!" before driving off.

"It's not a date!" I called after him before heading in the house. Lightning was sitting on the couch when I came in the house.

"Spill." She commanded. Sighing, I sat in the chair across from her and explained everything from last night's events up until going to get my phone from Olette. Light's eyes had narrowed into very angry slits. "Hn… That bastard better hope I never find him…" She mumbled. "Roxas, you need to stop going out to drink with that… _friend_ of yours. Remember the last time you two went drinking? Or the time you nearly got arrested at that underage party?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't this bad."

"Roxas, you were passed out in the park with your shoes stolen clean off of your feet."

I looked away sheepishly. "Oh yeah… Well Olette means well." Although this mess is her fault. If she'd had just kept her mouth shut I might not have gotten that drunk nor had my face bruised up.

"You're defending her after all this?"

"Well not exactly. I'm still pissed at her. But she only took me to try and cheer me up."

"Hn. Well she needs to find better ways to cheer you up. If you're not careful you'll turn into an alcoholic, or end up dead." Lighting said coldly before standing. "Roxas, maybe you ought to reevaluate this friendship. Is she really your friend, or just someone who says they'll be there when they really won't? A true friend wouldn't let you get into these kinds of situations." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Anyways, I will see you in the morning most likely." She grabbed me an ice pack before leaving for work.

I stretched and let out a loud yawn as I clomped up the steps to my room. I dropped down on the bed and kicked my shoes off while connecting my phone to the charger. The second I got it to come on I got a phone call from my manager. Apparently I was supposed to be there at ten this morning. It is currently three in the afternoon. Well shit. While explaining last night's event's for a second time, I figured it sounded ridiculous. Lucky for me, my manager is a big softie and gave me the rest of the week off.

After hanging up, I dropped my phone on the bed, turned my TV on and started flipping through the guide. I hadn't been off the phone for five minutes when it starting ringing again. It was Olette this time. Scoffing, I hit ignore. I did _not_ want to talk to her right now. But she clearly didn't get the message because she immediately sent me a text.

'_Omg Roxas ur cousin called I just heard ur alright! What happened?'_

I considered just ignoring her, but she needed to know she fucked up.

'_I am pissed at you. We will talk about it later but not today.'_

I hit send and ignored her immediate reply. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, thinking back to what Lightning had said before she left. She's right. Olette may seem like a good friend but she's never actually been there when I truly _needed_ a friend. She just uses me as a drinking buddy and she's gotten me into situations more than she's helped me out of them. She meddles in my love life because she hasn't got one of her own. Well not a healthy one anyway…

I snatched up my phone and clicked 'call'.

"Roxas? I thought you were mad at—"

"Olette, I'm done with you. You are _not_ my friend." Before she could say anything else I hung up.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**Mm, I suppose this was a teeny bit of a filler. So sorry about that, but it is necessary! I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, even just a teeny tiny bit. Also be prepared to see more of Axel. And I know I said it last time, but I'll get more into backstory pretty soon, I promise!**

**Review please and thank you!**

**Yours,  
Melodious Authoress**


	6. Chapter 6

Now that I had the next few days off, I had no idea what to do with my free time. I spent the first couple of days doing nothing in particular. I stayed in the bed and played on my phone until I got hungry and went downstairs to make breakfast. Light appeared in the kitchen soon after I flipped the last pancake.

"Finally out of your room I see." She remarked while stacking two pancakes on a plate.

"Well I've got the day off. Why sleep it all away, ya'know?" I responded while assembling my own plate. We sat and Lightning immediately tore into her plate. It wasn't that she was starving or had no table manners. While in basic training, all of the soldiers were taught to eat fast with little time to do it.

"You usually sleep in. Are you going out today?" Light asked before munching on a piece of bacon. I nodded as a response since my mouth was full of pancake. "Okay, well would you mind picking up some groceries? I would do it myself but I won't be in the area today." I nodded again. "Thanks."

She nodded before sliding a few folded bills onto the table and clearing her place. She left shortly after, leaving me to finish breakfast alone, after which I felt very lethargic and fat. That is no good. I went upstairs, taking them two at a time, to change into some track pants and sneakers. Stuffing my wallet, phone and keys into my pockets, I went back to the dining room and grabbed the money from the table. I counted it as I headed for the door. Two hundred and twenty-five dollars? Geez, did she want me to buy a year's supply of milk or something? There's only two people here, and I'm the only one really eating anything. I stashed the cash in my wallet, plugged in my earbuds and set off on my run. I gave up not even halfway through. The sun soon had come out from behind the clouds and it was now blistering hot outside. I don't see how it could be this hot this late in fall. I was hot, sweaty, and cranky when I got home.

I was in no mood to do post-run Pilates. I was out of those gross sweaty clothes before I even made it to the shower. Once I was squeaky clean and dressed, I hopped in the car, rolling down all of the windows, and headed to the supermarket. After circling the parking lot five times I finally found a spot, grabbed a cart and made my way into the store. I grabbed the basics first; milk, eggs, bread, cheese, some meats to cook, blah blah blah. I snatched up a box of green tea while heading to the fruit and vegetable section. I ripped off several little plastic bags, draping the rest over the side of the cart, and started digging through the peaches. I deposited the bag, grabbed up another, and moved on to the dragon fruit. Just as I dropped one into the bag, someone crashed into my cart which knocked the bag of peaches over, causing the fuzzy things to go rolling all over the cart. Frowning, I turned to chew the offender out, but stopped, greeted by a familiar grin.

"Well well, look who it is! If it isn't my little rescue, Roxas!" Axel stood there, grinning at me with his arms lanky arms draped across the handle of his own cart. "Didn't think I'd run into you here!"

"What's with this 'little rescue' business?" I questioned while returning the peaches to the bag.

"What brings you here today, hm? Out to get some vittles are we?" He asked, completely ignoring my question as he starting picking through the green apples. I turned back to the fruit counter and selected a decent looking dragon fruit. I then moved on to broccoli and spinach.

"Well, you know just buying some things so I can try and make a bomb." I answered while dropping the fruit and vegetables into bags. "What do you think? I'm grocery shopping."

Axel threw his spikey red head back and laughed. "Making a bomb. Roxas, you are funny."

"Oh well thanks. Anyway, it was nice to see you." I said before pushing my cart around him. To my mild surprise, he followed me.

"Mind if I tag along? You looked pretty lonely standing there"

I frowned. Did I really look lonely? Am I lonely…? I shook my head a little. No, I'm not lonely. I don't _feel_ lonely. I mean I've got Light… although she's hardly ever around for long… Well there's Serah… but she's not well… Oh! There's Ole— oh yeah… Okay, maybe I am lonely. Just a little. "Well I guess I don't have much of a choice." I remarked while turning down the 'grains' aisle.

"Guess not." He responded, grinning at me again. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed two packages of short grain rice and threw them in my cart, along with a container of jasmine rice. I also considered a container of Arborio. While I was choosing the containers, I got the strangest feeling on the back of my neck. I turned to find Axel watching me, staring at me like a cat. It was a little creepy.

"I thought you had your own shopping to do?" I said to him over my shoulder.

"Yeah, but not in this aisle. I've got enough pasta and rice to last for months. What's this for?" He plucked the container of Arborio out of my hand.

"It's special rice usually for Risotto." I explained, taking it from him and dropping it in my basket.

"Risotto?" He repeated, looking at me as if I'd said it in French.

"It's a rice dish, you uncultured boob." I shook my head at him before continuing on to the next aisle.

"'Uncultured boob'? That's just plain not nice." He responded while tossing a few boxes of cereal in his own cart. "I'm plenty cultured, thank you very much." I rolled my eyes as an answer while going through a mental checklist of everything I wanted to get.

"It seems I've gotten everything I came for, so I've got to go now." I said, turning to face the redhead. He frowned for a second, but it was quickly replaced with that grin he seemed to always have. "But it was nice seeing you again. See you around."

"Well alright then. Be good Roxas, I don't want to have to save you again!" He gave me a smirk and a two finger salute before going down the opposite end of the aisle. I snorted before going to the shortest checkout lane. I paid the girl, carted everything to the back seat of my car and was finally on my way back home. The very _second_ I got my foot through the door, my phone started ringing. Cursing, I struggled to empty my hands of the grocery bags before it stopped ringing. Once my hands were free, I snatched the stupid phone from my pocket, discovering that the caller wasn't a saved contact.

"Hello?"

"Yo! You still owe this uncultured boob a date!"

"Who is this?" I asked while closing and locking the front door.

"Axel! Who else would be calling for a date?"

I scoffed. "So you're saying I can't get a date other than your ass? Besides, I told you I owed you dinner, not a date."

"No date better than me." The redhead responded, ignoring what I said about the favor. "Anyway, I wanna cash in now. You busy?"

"I just got home." I said while digging through the grocery bags for the almond milk. "And I've still got things to put away."

"Well hurry up, I'll be there in twenty."

"W-wait what! Hold on a min—"

"No negotiations!" He said before hanging up on me. Dragging my hands down my face in frustration, I quickly put everything in the correct place, albeit very messily, and went to my room and changed clothes. I considered trying to manage the mess I call hair but that notion flew out the window when the doorbell rang. I was greeted by the ever grinning redhead.

"Hullo Roxas!" He chirped as I stepped onto the stoop. I grunted as a response while locking the door behind me. "What's crawled up your ass?"

"Where are we going? I ignored is question, heading over to his car.

"I don't know, you tell me." Axel responded, leaning against the passenger side of my car.

"Excuse me?"

"_You_ owe _me_, remember? That means _you_ drive." Rolling my eyes, I unlocked my car and got in, commanding Axel to do the same. There was an uncomfortable silence as I backed the car out of the driveway. I cleared my throat in an attempt to break the silence but only succeeded in making things more awkward.

"Um… Anywhere in particular you wanted to go?" I asked, slowly driving out of the small neighborhood.

"Nah, you can pick." Axel responded before reaching to turn the radio on. "Say, do you have an auxiliary cable?"

I nodded and motioned to the middle console. While he fiddled around I considered where I should take this fool. Maybe Dolce would be a good idea… Oh wait, no it wouldn't. Olette probably worked to day and I do _not_ want to be subjected to her melodrama today, and I'm quite sure Axel wouldn't want to be either.

"Hey, do you like Chinese f—" I was abruptly cut off by what sounded like a lawnmower running over thousands of flip flops blasting out of the car speakers. "What the hell is this noise?" I snapped, smashing the power button.

"Noise? What, you've never heard dubstep before?" He asked, turning it back on, dropping the volume this time.

"Yeah I have, but that was just plain terrible. If you wouldn't mind finding something a little less noisy, that'd be great."

The redhead snorted but complied anyway, settling on what sounded like Daft Punk. Surprisingly he stayed quiet for the remainder of the ride. Fine by me though, I wasn't feeling very talkative. He finally spoke once I had parked the car in front of my favorite Chinese restaurant.

"Hm, I've never been here before." He mumbled as we went inside. I was glad it wasn't very crowded, and we were seated immediately. I ordered some hot tea while my so called 'date' read over the menu. I sipped my tea quietly, peeking over the rim at Axel. He rested head lazily on the back of his hand as he read the menu. I don't know what to make of him. He's… unreadable and it makes me not like him… But at the same time I can't help but find myself drawn to him and wanting to know all about him. His eyes suddenly snapped up to meet mine. Startled and a little embarrassed to be caught staring, I spluttered into my cup and quickly looked away.

"Anything you'd recommend?" Axel asked with a small laugh.

"I usually get sizzling rice soup and the chicken with broccoli." I answered while dabbing up the spots of tea that had landed on the table.

"Yuck, you like broccoli?" He wrinkled his nose up while pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Yeah, it's good for you." I said, earning a 'bleh' as a response. "What are you, five?" He nodded and stuck his tongue out at me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Our waitress soon came and I ordered my usual and Axel ordered General Tao's chicken. "Oh just so you know, the soup I ordered is for two." I said to him after the waitress left.

"Yeah, that's fine, I don't mind sharing." He mumbled absentmindedly while playing with his phone. I sat there drinking my tea and feeling kind of awkward. There were some other people in the restaurant but with us not talking, it was uncomfortably silent. Was I so boring of a date that he had to play with his phone instead? Wait, what do I care? This isn't even a date, just a favor! I scowled over at him, watching him. I wonder what's so damn interesting on that damn thing? Why ask me to take him somewhere then just sit there and ignore me? That's just plain rude. I shifted in my seat, and then cleared my throat. I opened my mouth to tell him about himself but our waitress appeared with the soup. I thanked her, filled both bowls and passed one to my tablemate.

"So are we going to actually have a conversation or are you going to continue to be rude and ignore me?" I asked finally, pouring some rice into my soup. Axel's eyes widened and he reached over, snatching the bowl of rice from my hand and dumping nearly all of it into his own bowl. He grinned first at me then down at the crackling bowl of soup. At first I was completely bewildered when he took the rice from me but it dawned on me that this must be his first time ever having sizzling rice soup…

I couldn't help but laugh at the childlike wonder on that angular face. He looked up at me, grinning even harder.

"And here I thought your heart was made out of lead!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned between spoonfuls of soup.

"I mean I haven't seen you laugh since we met, let alone smile. You always look like someone either ran over your puppy or keyed your car.

I sat up straight and frowned. "No I don't."

"Yeah you do. See even now, you've got that sourpuss face again." He pointed at my face before downing nearly half of his bowl. He put the bowl down just as our waitress returned with the entrees. I couldn't even eat mine for a few moments. I was too busy watching Axel gobble his food like he'd been half starved to death. I hadn't even gotten through a quarter of my plate before he was completely finished, rice and all.

"Geez, you weren't hungry were you?" I asked sarcastically, spearing a piece of broccoli on my fork.

"Yeah, a little." He answered, licking his lips. He leaned back in the chair and pulled his phone out yet again. I glowered at him as I ate. Why go somewhere with someone if you're just going to ignore them the whole damn time? I finished my plate in silence.

After paying and tipping the waitress I stood. "Well let's go."

Axel stood as well and followed me out of the restaurant. "Hey, let's go get some dessert. I could use something sweet after that spicy chicken." He said once we got in the car. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Excuse me? Who said dessert was part of the deal?"

"Well you never said it wasn't." He retorted, a smug look on his face. Groaning inwardly, I'd realized Axel was right. I narrowed my eyes at him and that stupid grin grew even wider. He knew he'd won. "So there's this ice cream shop called Dewey's and it's m—"

"Yeah I go there a lot." I rolled my eyes. Of course he gets to pick dessert. I started the car and we were on our way. Axel fiddled with the radio until I parked in front of Dewey's. "We're here." I said while shutting the car off. Before I could even get out, Axel was heading up the couple of steps to the front door.

"Come on slow poke!" He called while standing in the doorway.

"Someone really wants ice cream." I remarked, locking my car and making my way into the building.

"Well this place makes the best ice cream, of course I want some! Go pick a seat, I'll order."

"I thought I'm supposed to pay." I stated, handing him a ten dollar bill. "I want a Double Crunch by the way." I picked one of the smaller tables by the windows. Sighing, I rested my chin in my hand and stared out the window at the sunset. I sighed again.

"What's wrong with you, Mopey?" Axel appeared, effectively startling me. He sat down and slid my bowl over to me.

"N-nothing… Just looking at the sunset." I mumbled, taking a bite of my ice cream. As I swallowed, something suddenly dawned on me. "Hey, let me ask you something."

"Fire away." He nodded before licking his spoon clean.

"How'd you get my phone number?"

"Oh. Well remember when you used my phone to call yours? I just saved your number."

"Don't you think you should have asked me first?" I asked him before pulling one of the chocolate disks from the ice cream.

"I figured you wouldn't mind. By the way, that has to be the kiddiest _and_ gayest thing I've ever seen anyone eat." He said, pointing his spoon at my bowl.

"Hey!"

"I mean look at it! Minnie mouse ice cream? What are you, a five year old girl?"

"Oh shut up, it's the only one that comes with this much chocolate." I retorted, biting the little chocolate ear in half to defend my statement. "Besides, yours looks stupid too. A volcano? Really?"

"It's good! And at least it's more manly than your little Minnie princess bowl." He said before pushing his bowl over to me. "Don't knock it till you try it."

"Follow your own advice." I quipped before digging a spoonful out of his volcano. The instant I put the spoon in my mouth, it felt like I was eating fire. Coughing, I gulped down several scoops of my own ice cream. "W-what the hell?" I looked at Axel through watery eyes. "I thought you wanted something sweet?"

He laughed before taking a bite of my ice cream. "I did. This _is_ sweet, and only a little spicy you lightweight. Yours is all extra fruity. Geez." He wrinkled his nose up before returning to his own bowl.

"Fruit is good for you." I responded.

Axel let out an exasperated grunt and gave me a look. "What are you, my mom? I swear that's all you've said about anything I've eaten today. I mean, it's fruit, but it's still in ice cream. So what if it is or isn't good for you? You like to eat it and it tastes good." He pointed his spoon at me. "What's your deal anyway? On some weird health kick diet?"

I frowned. "Well not exactly. But isn't it good to maintain good eating habits?"

"I guess, but depriving yourself of food you like isn't a healthy habit either. Besides, you don't need a diet. You look fine to me."

"How would you know? You've hardly look at me today. Too busy looking at your phone." I snapped before I could stop myself. I felt completely mortified under Axel's unreadable gaze.

"Well if it bothered you so much, why didn't you just say something?" He said after a few moments. "Besides, what does it matter? According to you this wasn't a date, remember?" The words unexpectedly stung. They stung because it was the truth. Feeling small and undesirable, I looked down into my bowl of melting ice cream. We sat silent, aside from Axel's spoon and bowl clinking. I had lost my appetite. Having finished his ice cream, the redhead stood and took both bowls back to the front counter. I stood and followed him back to the car. The ride was quiet.

"Roxas." Axel said once I had shut the car off in Lighting's driveway. "Let's go for a walk." He said then got out and started heading up the street. I hesitated, considering just locking myself away in the house, but decided to follow him anyways. Once I caught up, we walked along quietly. We soon came into view of the small neighborhood playground. "Roxas." Axel said again, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Why are you so sad?"

I stopped abruptly, the question having caught me off guard. "Sad?" I repeated. "I'm not… I'm not sad." I said, looking down at my feet.

"Liar. You've been acting emotionally unstable all day."

I said nothing, stepping over the low wall around the playground, kicking wood chips as I made my way over and sat on one of the swings. There was a view of the main road from here. I sighed, watching the shimmering circles of headlights pass. I heard clinking, signaling Axel's presence in the swing next to me. I kicked off hard, letting the momentum die on its own.

"I don't have very much to be happy about." I said finally. "I feel like there's no reason behind my existence. I'm not living for anything. I'm not accomplishing anything, and probably never will." I kicked off again, letting the swing rock by itself. "I got kicked out of my home because my dad hates me. My cousin is sick in the hospital, engaged to a big buffoon. I cut off my only friend and I watched someone…. I… I watched someone… commit suicide…" I felt my chest shudder and my heart clench as the words left my mouth.

"Damn…" Axel said after a moment. "That's some heavy stuff Roxas… Why don't you talk to someone about all this?"

"Because I don't have anyone to talk to…" I responded.

"Well you can talk to me." I snapped my head up and looked over at him. He was smiling at me. It was a warm, genuine smile.

I smiled back.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**And here is chapter six for you all. Sorry it took so long, but school and a job search and all that blah blah blah. Chapter seven should be on the way within the month!**

**Review Please and thank you!**

**Yours  
Melodious Authoress**


	7. Chapter 7

_(A/N:)You guys, I appreciate those who took the time to read and follow, but honestly, seeing only three reviews is a bit disheartening… Please don't forget to review if only on one chapter! Anyway, without further ado, here is the next chapter for you all!_

* * *

"It's going to snow ladies and gentlemen! The ever brooding Roxas has smiled twice in one day!" Axel declared with a big grin. I scoffed and rolled my eyes in response. "I am not always brooding." I mumbled under my breath.

"You know, you should smile more often. You have a really nice smile."

I hummed in acknowledgement before turning to look at the redhead. He'd gone silent and was staring out towards the road. He is so strange yet so interesting to me. I don't know whether I find him incredibly annoying or incredibly charming. "Axel, can I be honest with you?" I asked, looking down at my feet barely dangling above the ground.

"Yeah, of course."

"I don't know what to make of you." He threw his head back and laughed before kicking off from the ground, scattering woodchips every time he swung past. "What's so funny?" I demanded.

"What do you mean you don't know what to 'make of me'?" He asked once his swing slowed to a gentle rock.

"I mean you're…" I hesitated. What made me even want to say that in the first place? Too late to take it back now. Might as well be honest, right? "You're so different from anyone I've ever met. You helped me, a complete stranger, then spent essentially an entire day with me." He quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything, so I kept talking. "We've only known each other for two days and you're sitting here listening to me babble on about my problems. I've told _you_ more than I've told anyone…"

"And why's that? Surely you can talk to your hot cousin?" Axel asked, leaning back in his swing. I wrinkled my nose.

"Can you not call her hot around me? Anyway Light isn't really the emotionally supportive type and Serah can be too judgmental sometimes…" I smiled a little, remembering Serah's reaction when I got my ears pierced. "And like I said, I don't really have friends to talk to. We hardly kept in touch when we all went to different colleges and now they're off living their lives and don't have time for boring old Roxas anymore." I sighed, looking up at the stars. Axel hummed thoughtfully for a moment before standing and walking around the swing set.

"Well, you've got a friend now." He said.

"What was that?" I said, twisting in the swing so I could see him. He motioned for me to follow him before heading back towards the house. I got up and trotted down the street to catch up.

"I said you've got a friend now." He said coolly, shoving his phone, along with his hands, in the pockets of his jeans.

"Oh is that so?" I responded, just as cool.

"Yep. We're friends. Commit it to your memory because I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for life Rox."

"You make yourself sound like a tumor." I commented as we walked up to Lightning's driveway. He leaned against his car and laughed.

"Gee, that's a great way to think of me."

"Hey don't blame me, you described it that way." I said, holding up my hands in defense.

"Okay, fair enough. So Rox, what are you gonna go do now?" Axel asked while unlocking his car door.

I shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe try to fit in some Pilates before I shower and then probably just chill out until bed afterwards." After I'd said it, I realized how boring that sounded. "But hey, do you wanna come in and grab a snack or something? Maybe watch some TV?"

Axel held up a hand and shook his spiky head. "No thanks. It's kind of late isn't it?"

"Oh… well I suppose it is." I said, now with nothing to look forward to except my boring plans.

"Besides, won't your cousin mind?" He gestured towards Light's car, which I hadn't even noticed until now. "She seems like she's not one for bullshit. I don't think I should really be hanging around this late when it's not your place, ya'know?"

"Well what about tomorrow?" I blurted before thinking.

Axel chuckled before sitting sideways in the driver's seat of his car. "I have something to do tomorrow."

"Oh…" I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Tomorrow is my last day off and I didn't want it to be boring and I didn't want to spend it alone. I heard Axel mutter something before chuckling again. "Say again?"

He chuckled yet again before answering. "I _said_ but we'll see. What I've got already planned shouldn't take all day, so I'll see what's going on afterwards, alright? Fair enough?"

I couldn't help but grin. "Fair enough." Axel laughed before starting his car and bidding me a good night. I returned the sentiment before going in the house. It was rather dark downstairs. Confused, I turned on the light at the landing and went into the living room. I was a little surprised to find Lightning, wearing shorts and a loose tank, curled up on the sofa, clinging to Serah's ratty old stuffed Carbuncle. Even with the low light from the hall and the flickering light from the TV, I could see that she'd been crying. I hadn't seen her cry since Auntie and Uncle died… She'd probably wanted to visit Serah today but wasn't able to…

Not wanting to wake her, I quickly retreated up the steps, turning off the light once I'd reached the top. No Pilates tonight, I don't want to risk waking Light. I took a quick shower and jumped in the bed, settling in for the night.

I lie there, thinking about the day's events until I drifted off into sleep. I had a very unusual dream.

I was in a plain white room, empty except for a long white table with two accompanying chairs, also white, on either end of the table. I felt drawn to the table, so I walked up to it slowly and sat in the chair. I looked around the stark white room before letting my gaze rest on the chair opposite of me. It was empty one moment, and in the second it took me to blink there was a figure there. Their features were blurry though, so I couldn't see the person's face. They stood and walked towards me, stopping near the middle of the table and leaned against it rather lazily, motioning for me to come to them. Curious, I complied, closing the distance between us.

This person was taller than me, and even as close as I was, they were still blurry. I could, however, see certain details. The build was male, and he was thin but it was the good kind of thin. The only other distinguishing features were what were supposed to be his eyes, which were the most strikingly beautiful shade of green, and what seemed to be his hair. It was incredibly red and stuck out in blurry spikes, some of them framing his face. I tried to speak to him but I had no voice. He must have found this funny because I could see his shoulders shaking. I frowned at him, annoyed at the fact that I couldn't speak or figure out who this was. He finally stopped laughing and put a hand on my shoulder. He leaned down close to my face, and just as he was about to speak, I woke up.

I frowned up at the soft glow of slowly rotating stars coming from the projector on my nightstand. What the hell was that about? Who the hell was that? I sighed and rolled over to look at the projector. I've had that thing for ages but I just don't have the heart to get rid of it. Serah had given it to me for my tenth birthday. She was nine at the time. Smiling, I remember how excited she was for me to open the box.

My phone let out a sudden '_ping!', _bringing me out of my thoughts. I unplugged it from the charger and swiped across the screen to check the message, which apparently was received five minutes ago. "So it was you who woke me up." I mumbled.

'_Hey Rox, I should be there somewhere between 4 n 5, k?'_

It took a moment to register that Axel was the sender since I still hadn't saved his number. I sent a simple reply before taking care to save his number. Yawning, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Let's see, if it's eleven now, I've got several hours to kill. I'll do my Pilates today since I skipped twice in a row. With my mind made up, I threw on some sweats and a plain loose tank before grabbing my ten-pounders. As I started towards the hall something clicked in my mind and I stopped dead in my tracks. Red hair? Green eyes? No no, Axel's eyes aren't green… are they? I shook my head vigorously. No, of course they aren't. Besides, why would I be dreaming about him anyway? Silly Roxas, it's just a coincidence. Shaking my head again for good measure, I continued on my way to the kitchen. Passing through the living room I was rather shocked to find Lightning still asleep on the couch with the Carbuncle plush.

"Light! Lightning, get up!" I dropped my things by the couch and grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her. She groaned and stretched before struggling to open her eyes. They'd been glued shut from her crying. "Light you're late!"

"What!" She shot up, nearly knocking me over. "What time is it!?"

"E-eleven thirty." I stuttered, a little disturbed to discover firsthand that my cousin sleeps without a bra. Her shirt was so loose it had twisted in her sleep and now her entire boob was just hanging out. "Light, I think you should fix your shirt." I said, looking everywhere but at her. She ignored what I said, barreling past me and up the steps. Grimacing at the image now burned into my retinas, I went into the kitchen and made some quick oats. I contemplated making enough for Light, but before I could add an extra scoop to the pot she came thundering down the steps and out the front door. No goodbye, no nothing. "Oh well." I mumbled. After eating I went back to the living room and started my workout. I took a well-deserved shower afterwards. I got dressed, went downstairs and dropped down onto the couch, deciding to watch TV for a while. That idea fell short two rounds through the guide later. Groaning, I turned the TV off, letting my arms fall limp in defeat. My hand landed on the discarded plush toy. I picked the ratty thing up and looked into his shiny eyes.

"Let's go see Serah." I said to Carbuncle, tucking him under my arm.

**XxxX**

"Oh Bunkie I missed you!" Serah cooed, cradling Carbuncle in her thin arms.

I couldn't help but grin. Seeing my cousin so happy put me in a good mood. I reached out and gingerly placed a hand on her upper arm. "I figured you could use some company. How've you been Serah?"

"Pretty good, nothing to report these days." She replied with a warm smile. "I think maybe they'll let me leave this stuffy room someday soon."

"Yes, maybe so. That'd be good for you to get some fresh air." I said with a nod. We sat at chatted for a while until a text message interrupted us. It was another from Axel.

'_hey, do u like wine coolers? If so, got any at home?'_

'_Yeah I like. no I don't have.'_

"That reminds me, Serah I've got news for you." I said while putting my phone away. "It's nothing bad." I added after the wary look she gave me. "I made a friend."

"Oh Roxas that's wonderful! Tell me everything!" She hung onto every word I said, sighing once I finished the story. "Oh how romantic! Roxas tell me, is he handsome?"

I shrugged before scoffing loudly. "Serah, how should I know! I haven't been looking at him like that, nor have I had time to. And nothing's romantic about anything."

"He's handsome, I just know it." She said before her mouth twisted into a very sly grin. "You're attracted to him Roxas."

"Um, no?"

"Um, _yes_? Why else would you react the way you did when I asked if he's handsome? And why else would you invite him over, _twice_?"

"Because _you_ told me to make friends!"

"Because you like him. You're just in denial. Your subconscious is trying to tell you someth— don't you shake your head at me! I'll hit you!" She declared, shaking a fist at me.

"Hey hey, calm down." I said, shielding myself with my arm. _Why_ did I tell her about the dream? I'm not sure if it was even _about_ Axel!

"Now you listen to me Roxas McMichaels. I bet you anything that man is attracted to you. And _YOU_ are attracted to _HIM_. AND I bet you by the end of this month you two are going to be all over each other."

Sighing in resignation, I let my dear cousin rant on. "Okay Serah, okay whatever you say! Now I've got to go. I love you, and I'll come back to see you soon, alright?" We embraced, Serah making sure to pinch me before she let go. I thought about our conversation as I drove home. Me, attracted to Axel? How can I be? We just freaking met! Serah and her crazy thoughts. I turned into the neighborhood, glancing at the clock on the radio as I drove down the street. 3:45. Good. That means I had time to get in the house and whip up a couple of snacks... Great. Snacks, but nothing to do. For fuck's sake Roxas you could have rented a movie or something! I considered turning around and going to get a couple of games and movies, but nearly ran someone's mailbox over when I noticed a cherry red car in Lightning's driveway. Oh great.

Axel was sitting on the stoop when I pulled up. He stood and came over as I got out.

"You know you could have called me to let me know you were here." I said, brushing past him. "And you said four or five."

"Yeah, but what good would that have done? You weren't here so letting you know would have been pointless. But whatever, we're both here now. And I finished early." He answered following behind me. I could hear the wine coolers clinking as he followed me into the house to the kitchen. I took the two cases from him, examining the flavors while opening the fridge.

"Strawberry daiquiri and Pina colada? What are we, women?" I remarked, stashing the cases on the bottom shelf.

"What's wrong with em? And hell, I could have brought beer but I figured it's a little too soon to be getting completely hammered." He said over his shoulder while wandering to the living room. "Damn, nice place. What's the lady do for a living?"

"Guardian Corps." I stated, dropping onto the couch and watching Axel examine everything. He stopped and picked up the stuffed moogle resting in the armchair.

"You help decorate?" He asked, grinning and waggling the moogle at me.

"No. That's Serah's only contribution to the living room. She's hopeless with these sorts of things." I explained while switching the TV on.

Axel hummed at the information, returned the moogle to its place and plopped down on the couch next to me, propping his feet up on the coffee table with a thud. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well I wanted to see what was on TV at the moment, if that's okay. And I just cleaned that yesterday. Get your cruddy shoes off the table." I replied, shoving his leg.

"If I wanted to watch TV, I would have stayed home. And my shoes aren't cruddy." He grumbled while pulling his sneakers off.

"Well what do you want to do then?" I demanded, folding my arms.

"TV's fine, no need to get pissy. Calm down there Rox." The redhead said, patting me on the shoulder as he returned his now sock feet to the coffee table. I frowned at his feet but decided not to say anything. "So where were you if you don't mind me asking?"

"I went to visit Serah in the hospital. Are you hungry?" I stood and turned towards the kitchen.

"That's the one engaged to the buffoon right? And yeah, sure I could go for something. Wait don't tell me Roxas knows how to cook?" He grinned, leaning over the back of the couch as I went into the kitchen.

"Of course I know how to cook. I went to culinary school." I said simply. Now, what could I make that's easy enough but good enough to be a snack?

"Ooooh fancy fancy!" He called with a silly accent. "No need to show off on my account. You can just order something."

"I'm not showing off. I was planning to make something when I got home but _somebody_ didn't let me know they were going to be early." I retorted, folding my arms.

"Hey, what's life without a few surprises? Anyway, I'm serious. You don't have to cook anything mon petite chef. I can order a pizza or some wings or something."

"Fine, if you say so. And don't call me petite." I said , leaning on wall. I watched as he pulled out his wallet. "Hey I'll pay for it."

"No no, I can do it." He waved me away.

"But you're a guest here."

"So?"

"_So_? So guests don't pay for their own food!"

"Whatever, I'm paying for it."

"No you're not. I won't let you."

"Yeah I am."

"No."

"Yes!"

"Why?" I demanded, becoming frustrated. God he was so damn hardheaded!

"Why _not_?" Axel shot back, staring me down from across the room, jaw set. A little taken aback, I lost my words. I stood there, working my own jaw in frustration. He continued to stare at me with such an indescribable expression. His gaze was so piercing that I swear I could see his eyes smoldering… His _green_ eyes. I gaped at him for a second before turning away.

"Fine, whatever. You can pay for it if you want."

"Okay, but are you alright over there? What was with that crazy face you gave me?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Just remembered something is all." I said absentmindedly, holding a hand to my chest to try and calm my heart. It _was_ Axel in my dream! I'd had a dream about a man that I'd just met! Why!? Could Serah be right? Am I attracted to Axel? I turned and looked at the redhead in question. I turned back when he looked up at me. Am I really attracted to him? I shook my head like crazy. No no of course not! We're just friends… right?

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**Hello there again! Here is another chapter for you all! Thank you for being so patient and I hope you enjoyed this one. Don't forget to leave a review please and thank you! I'll try and get another chapter up soon, I promise!**

**Yours,  
Melodious Authoress**


	8. Chapter 8

"It seems to me you're actually _trying_ to get drunk." Axel commented, waggling a chicken wing at me as I downed my fourth wine cooler.

"Whatever. I wouldn't have to try if you had brought some _real_ alcohol." I shot back before grabbing a wing of my own and tearing it to shreds. Hell, I wouldn't need to be drunk right now if I hadn't dreamed of him in the first place. "You're no better off than I am." I nodded at his three empty bottles.

"Well you could have asked for something else if you didn't want wine coolers. I bet you're a lightweight anyway." He responded, kicking his feet back up on the table.

"Oh really? And what makes you say that?" I asked with a small hiccup

"Well look at you. You're so small. Besides, _I've_ only got a decent buzz going." He said before reaching over and ruffling my hair. "I'm surprised you're not completely hammered right now."

"I'm kinda tipsy" I lied. I was drunk and I knew it. "But that's beside the point. I'm just short for my age. And quit it, I'm not a little kid." I knocked his hand away.

"Aww, does someone have a Napoleon complex?" Axel cooed while pinching my cheeks. I growled and knocked his hand away again.

"I don't got a Napoleon complex! God, you're the sec-_hic_-second person to tell me that!" I slurred angrily, banging a fist on the arm of the couch.

Axel arched a thin eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Well who was the first person?"

"This one bitch I dated in hi-_hic-_high school." I stated, leaning back on the couch, letting myself slide down a little. "I wasn't that interested in her and we'd argue all the time because she'd say I'm ignoring her or looking at other girls." I popped open another strawberry daiquiri cooler and took a big swig. "And she kept trying to get me to fuck her. But I just wasn't into the idea of having sex with her." Axel's eyebrow quirked but he said nothing. "I got tired of her shit so I broke up with her. She was one of those girls who got vindictive when you pissed her off so we fought one last time and she insulted me a lot. She said I didn't ever want to have sex because I was too absorbed with my Napoleon complex and worried about my small dick but whatever, she had a pie face and mosquito bite tits anyway."

Axel threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Well shit!" He exclaimed once he caught his breath. He took a big swig of his own cooler before grinning at me, cheeks flushed. "Why'd you date her then?"

I shrugged before giving it some thought. "Well she did have a nice ass. But y'know maybe cuzz she kept bothering me too. Leaving notes in my locker and all that cutesy bullshit. But ya'know maybe I wanted to seem normal too…"

"'Seem normal'? What do you mean?" The redhead was watching me with that unreadable expression again. I kind of like it but then again it makes me feel so strange because I can't tell what he's thinking. It didn't help that I was drunk… I sobered up for a brief moment and looked at him tentatively. If he wants to be my friend he'll accept me no matter what, right? Besides, it looks like Axel's a little more than buzzed by now. He probably won't remember any of this conversation.

"Well…" I took another big swig. "I was struggling to figure out who I was… While all my friends were talking about touching boobies, I was thinking about the boy with the great smile. While they were hitting on girls and grabbing their asses, I was wondering what it would be like to kiss the guy who worked at the supermarket… I felt like I wasn't normal, because normal boys don't think about those kinds of things." Axel stayed quiet, watching me with the same look on his face. Unnerved, I drained my bottle. God, why must I blabber on whenever I'm drunk? I sat up straight and starting running my fingers around the opening of the bottle I held.

"When we got to high school, my friends started noticing I never contributed to their conversations and of course I didn't want to draw bad attention to myself so I took the first chance that threw itself at me, which happened to be Pie Face. She got rid of their suspicions so I kept her around for a while. Got rid of her and got another girlfriend to keep my interests protected. Even convinced myself that I _liked _them and that I was normal then, but I was miserable because I was torturing myself... I girl hopped up until senior year. That's when… That's when I met…" I stopped and looked down. I knew I'd cry if I kept talking. We sat silent for a moment. Then I felt Axel gently grab my chin, tilting my head up to look at him. He had the most mystifying look on his face.

"Do you know who you are now?" He asked softly. He was suddenly so close. It surprised me, and I fell back on the couch. Axel scooted closer, leaning over me, trapping me with his arms on either side of me. "Are you still miserable, Roxas?" He asked just as softly as the first question, leaning even closer. He was close enough that I could smell the alcohol on his breath. My heart was going nuts and I just started wide eyed into those mysterious emerald eyes, stunned and stammering. Is he going to kiss me? Am I going to let him? Oh god I think he is, and I think I am…

"Roxas, I don't want to see you so upset." He murmured leaning closer and closer still and I could feel his breath just above my lips.

I could smell his scent. He smelled so… earthy. So spicy. Like nutmeg and something else so sweet. My eyes fluttered closed when I felt him gently slide his leg up against the inside of my thigh. I felt my breath hitch and I could feel his body heat radiating over my face. His lips barely brushed mine when he froze, music suddenly playing from somewhere behind us. He cursed under his breath and suddenly I felt so cold. I opened my eyes and saw him walk towards the hall, cell phone to his ear.

I sat up, unsure whether to scream or swoon. I felt an odd mixture of arousal and numbness, sitting there mouth agape, staring at the title screen of the movie we had been watching. The chicken wings sat forgotten on the table and were probably cold by now. How did this even happen? What just took place surely didn't take that long… But it felt like time had stood still so maybe…

"L-look Roxas, I'm sorry about… this." Axel came back into the living room, cheeks still flushed, gesturing towards me and the coffee table. "I shouldn't have… you could have…" He sighed, running a hand through his wild hair. "Look I'll just go…"

"But what about the food?" I said dumbly.

"You can keep it. On me… I'll uh… I'll see you around." He said before stumbling to the front door. The fact that he was leaving hadn't registered in my head until I heard his car start up. I stood up quickly but regretted it, head swimming immediately. Groaning, I grasped my head. My body went into autopilot and I shambled upstairs and straight to my bed. I felt a strange sort of nagging feeling in the back of my mind, like I should think about… _something_… but what? I think it has something to do with Axel, right? I think? What about Axel? It hurt my head to think. I didn't want to think right now. I groaned as I pulled the blankets over my head but I soon succumbed to the overpowering fogginess and all thoughts left my head.

**XxxX**

"Fuuuuuuuuck…" I groaned and curled into a ball, holding my head in both hands. This is one of the worst hangovers I've had. God, I don't even remember going to a bar last night! Groaning again I got up and went to the bathroom to splash my face with cold water.. Groaning and grumbling, I slowly made my way back to my room and sat down on the edge of my bed. The second I sat, my phone let out an alert. I realized I still had my clothes on from yesterday, and my phone was currently in the front pocket. I pulled it out to check the alert and nearly shrieked. I slept through both alarms I had set for myself and now only had twenty minutes to get ready and get to work.

Letting out a constant string of curses, I scrambled to get ready while nursing my hangover. I snatched up my keys, stampeded down the steps and out to my car. Luck was on my side as I sped to Dolce and found a decent spot. I hopped out and ran in the building, managing to run bodily into Olette. She stared at me, confusion and hurt plain on her face. She opened her mouth to say something but I shook my head, which took a great deal.

"Not today." I mumbled, brushing past her. She made a sound but I kept going. I avoided Olette for the rest of my shift. Note to self, don't drink the night before work. My tips suffered fiercely today. Thanks to the hangover I was cranky and snippy, letting my sarcasm slip multiple times. Thankfully no one complained to the manager. I was grateful when my shift ended, making a B-line for my car. I was just pulling into Light's driveway when I got a text message

'_Hey Roxas…. R u busy?'_

_Just getting home from work _I replied while going in the house. Looks like I'm home alone. Axel sent a response when I got to my room. I changed clothes and started heading back downstairs before I opened the message.

_Ah okay… sorry again for last night… guess I was pretty drunk…_

I furrowed my brow. Last night…? Oh yeah, I vaguely remember inviting Axel over yesterday. I flicked the light on in the living room, confused to find open to-go boxes of chicken wings on the table and empty wine cooler bottles all over the place. Oh that's what he's apologizing for…

_Nah it's alright, we were both pretty hammered. _I threw my phone on the couch and proceeded to clean up the mess. The fact that I didn't receive an angry phone call from Light means she probably didn't come home last night or this morning. Oh well, that's fine because I'd rather not be on the receiving end of her anger. By the time I got the mess cleared and the carpet vacuumed I was ten o' clock and I was pretty tired. I went upstairs and crawled into bed, snuggling into my blankets. Just as I got comfortable I received another message from Axel.

'_Look Roxas… I need to tell you something important.'_

_Alright go ahead_

'_It's about how I acted last night…'_

How he acted last night? What does he mean by that? And why can't I remember for myself? Probably because I was so drunk. Geez, I really am a lightweight if I get drunk from wine coolers. I sent a reply asking him to tell me but he didn't respond for a good while. When he finally did answer I was fighting sleep.

'_Yknow I don't think now is the right time… so never mind.'_

What! After all that waiting _that's_ what he sends back!?

_Oh no no you tell me what you had to say! _I replied angrily

'_No, just forget it Rox. I'm going to bed so good night._

I scowled at the screen and contemplated cursing him out, but decided against it. If I make him mad, he'll probably never tell me what he was going to say.

_Fine, good night._

'_don't let the bed bugs bite! Sweet dreams'_

I scoffed and rolled over. Sweet dreams huh? I better not dream about him because of that.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**Hello hello hello! Sorry this chapter was a little shorter but here's where the gettin' starts to get good! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and like I promised there was a little insight into Roxas' past! Expect to see more soon!**

**Review please and thank you!**

**Yours,  
Melodious Authoress**


	9. Chapter 9

_(A/N): If the idea/thought/image of two males engaging in sexual activities bothers you in any way, please keep an eye out for author notes marking the sexual stuff **which should look bolded like this**. Or you could just X the story away ha ha. I thank you kindly for your cooperation. _

* * *

So not only did I have a dream about Axel, I had an _inappropriate_ dream about Axel. When I woke up I could do nothing but lie there and suffer with a raging boner. Swearing in frustration, I scrubbed my hands over my face, trying to rid my mind of the scenes still buzzing around. Lord, everything seemed so _real_! _Why_ would I have a dream like that? And about Axel no less! Realization suddenly hit me and I quickly sat up. It seemed so real because it actually happened! Well some of it did anyway… I sat there, fingers to my lips and eyes wide in shock.

Axel tried to kiss me the other night… Oh hell and I was going to let him! We may have been drunk but still… I ran a thumb over my lips, remembering just how close he had been… I let out a frustrated 'fuck!' and flopped back into my pillows. Another dream about him_ and_ that incident… This can mean only one thing…

Serah was right. I'm attracted to Axel, and he's attracted to me. How could this have happened over such a short course of time? Maybe it's just an infatuation on his part or he's looking for a quick lay or something… Sighing, I rolled onto my side and looked at the projector. I think maybe I should keep my distance from Axel until I can get my mind right…

**XxxX**

Even though I'd decided to stay away, I was drawn to him, jumping at every chance he offered me. We went to movies, we took nightly walks together, we stargazed a few times. We went to lunch and dinner a lot, we went to a museum once and even spent nights at each other's houses, both flirting shamelessly every chance we got. On several occasions Axel looked as if he was going to tell me something, but stopped, thinking better of it I suppose.

I was zipping up my duffle bag for a night at Axel's when Lightning knocked on my doorframe.

"Hey." She said, crossing her arms and leaning against the frame.

"Hey." I echoed , straightening up and slinging the bag over my shoulder.

"So I'm being stationed at Lake Bresha as of tomorrow night."

"What? But why?" I asked.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Because of that day I was late. My punishment was decided earlier this week and I have to report by eleven tomorrow night."

"Oh, well I should be home from work by then. I'll bring you back a dinner so you won't travel on an empty stomach." I said while turning the light off in my room and walking past Light and into the hall. "When will you be back?"

"In ninety days." She replied simply, following me down the steps. "Look Roxas," She put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me at the door. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why, do I not look fine?" I responded, looking her in the eye.

"Yes, but you've been spending a lot of time with this Axel character."

"Oh, well we're just friends."

She took her hand from my shoulder, letting it rest on her hip instead. "Well alright. I just don't want to see you hurt." I was a little shocked. Light never showed much interest in that side of my personal life.

"Everything's fine. I'll see you later." I said before stepping out onto the porch. Axel pulled up just as I locked the door.

"What's up Rox?" He asked as I got in and threw my duffle bag in the backseat.

"Nothin' much. Now remember I have to go to work tomorrow, so no drinking tonight." I replied.

"Aww but that's no fun!" The redhead whined as he eased the car into the street.

"Yeah well me getting fired for having a hangover is no fun either." I retorted. "So what's the plan for tonight?"

"I rented Side-Effects and Black Swan. I finally got my surround sound hooked up so we can watch some other stuff too if you want."

"Finally got it figured out did you?" I asked smugly, resting my head in my hand.

"Yeah a friend came by this morning and helped." He answered before letting out a loud yawn.

"Oh? I didn't think you had any other friends." I said coolly.

"Hey!" He reached over and punched my thigh. I cursed in pain, rubbing the sore area.

"You ass, I have to stand for several hours tomorrow!"

Axel parked in his driveway and we both got out. He grabbed up my duffle bag and headed towards the house. "You'll live." He said waving me away. "So when do I get to see you at work anyways?" He asked, fumbling with his keys.

"Never. You're not allowed." I snapped, folding my arms.

"Aww, but I bet you look so cute in your uniform."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, following him into the house. I dropped onto his couch as he proceeded to the kitchen to make popcorn. We managed to put a considerable dent in the popcorn and made it through Side Effects and half of Black Swan before we were both asleep on the couch… in each other's arms.

**XxxX**

"Movie night's at your place next time. Don't forget." Axel said, easing his car into Light's driveway.

"Yeah yeah whatever." I replied, reaching into the backseat for my duffle bag. I made to get out, but Axel grabbed my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. I looked back at him and he had that mystifying look in his eyes again. "Axel?"

He let me go and ran a hand over his face, groaning loudly.

"Look Rox, I really like you okay? I like you and I want to be with you so badly. You're so amazing and you're not like anyone I've ever met… I was going to tell you so many times and kiss you after I told you, but I'm not a cheater…"

I stared at Axel, mouth agape and cheeks hotter than the sun. Well it was obvious he liked me but to hear it so bluntly shocked me. I was literally stunned, rooted to the spot. And what's this about being a cheater? He's with someone already?

"If I cheated on her she'd never let me be happy… but I want to be with you…" He mumbled. Her? _HER!?_

"Y-you've got a girlfriend!?" I managed to say at last.

He let out an exasperated grunt, dropping his head onto the steering wheel before looking over at me. "What time do you get off of work?"

"E-eight." I stuttered. I was still in shock from the words coming from this guy's mouth. He likes me _and _he has a _girlfriend_!? Axel's… Axel's bisexual?

"Okay… you should get going; I've held you back long enough. I'll see you around Rox." He said. I got out and went in the house, slumping against the door as soon as it closed behind me. How can I function properly with all that information just buzzing around in my head!? I was dazed for the majority of the day, my mind constantly wandering back to what Axel had said to me. My manager noticed my blushing, asking if I needed to go home. I blushed even harder, insisting that I was fine.

I was nearing the end of my shift when Olette came in for work. We stopped and stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before she spoke.

"Roxas, please don't be mad at me anymore. I know I messed up… but I miss you. So please, at least talk to me." She said, her eyes tearing up. Damn it, I'm a sucker for tears!

I put a hand on her shoulder. "I forgive you." I said, giving her a smile. She perked up instantly, nearly crushing me with her hug.

"Oh yay! Roxas I missed you so much!"

"Yes yes I missed you too, now we've got to get to work." I said, patting her back.

I went back out on the floor, annoyed to discover I had one of those tables full of giggling girls. Once again, no bitches, I am most definitely _not_ interested.

After delivering the giggling girls' plates, Olette nudged me on my way back to the kitchen. She was practically beaming at me.

"Roxas! You're gonna thank me for the favor I just did you!" She said, whisking past me with dishes. Olette was back to business as usual I see.

"What the hell does that mean?" I shouted after her. She only grinned at me over her shoulder in response. I groaned and made my way back to the dining room. I assumed the man sitting in the back corner of my section was the "favor". Putting on my best smile, I went to his table.

"Hello, welcome to Dolce. My name is Roxas and I will be your server tonight. Can I start you off with an appetizer tonight?"

"Ah what the hell, why not? What would you recommend?" He said, laying his menu on the table. I blinked at him. Son of a bitch, this man is the very _definition_ of sexy. Sharp angled features, that sultry voice… This gorgeous shock of spikes… And those eyes… God _DAMN_, those _eyes_! Wait… THOSE EYES! "Well well, look who it is."

"Axel, what are you doing here!" I hissed. Just what I needed! As if the thought of him wasn't a distraction enough!

"Well I heard from a friend that this place is pretty good, so I thought I'd give it a try." He said with a smug grin. I resisted the urge to scream. He just _had_ to be my last customer didn't he? "And I was right. You're so cute in uniform!"

"What can I get you, _sir_?" I said through gritted teeth.

"Well I asked what you'd recommend. Come on Roxas look alive or you might not get a tip." He said with an amused smile.

I frowned, resisting the urge to smack him across the face. "The mozzarella sticks. Are you ready to order anything else or what?"

"I'll get the mozzarella sticks, and that chicken parmigiana. Oh and some Chardonnay." He answered with a stupid smirk on his face as he handed me the menu.

"Your mozzarella sticks will be out shortly." I mumbled before dropping the order off and tending to my other tables. As I went back to the kitchen I ran into Olette. I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off to the side.

"What is the matter with you!?" I hissed. "Why would you put that guy in my section!? Do you know him!?"

"Because! Just look at him! He's so hot, and you might just get some flirting in! No I don't know him but I sure wish I did, I mean look at him!"

"I don't flirt at work!" I frowned at her. "Not that I would even _think_ about flirting with _him_." I lied.

"Oh Roxas, don't think I don't notice when you're trying to milk people for tips." She said, pushing me away.

"I'm not milking anyone! It's called good customer service."

"Well then, go give good customer service, and you just might come back with a number." She said, snatching a plate of mozzarella sticks from the window and thrusting it in my hands, ignoring another server's protests about the theft.

"What if I don't want his number!" I snapped but she just shoved me out the kitchen door. Sighing, I went back to his table and set his order down. "Your dinner should be out soon." I said before tending to my other tables. That group of annoying giggling girls flagged me down on the way to the podium. One of them asked me for my number, sending the rest of them into more giggle fits. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I politely turned her down and continued to the podium. I had a good view of my tables from here... I turned and gazed back at him. Damn he looked good tonight… clean shaven, really nice shirt, and his hair looked extra glossy… I bet he even smells good, like that night when he almost—

"Excuse me!"

I was pulled out of my musings and wheeled around to come face to face with an angry blonde girl. "Yes miss, sorry about that. How many please?"

She scoffed, putting a hand on her hip. "I'm here to meet someone. He's got stupid red hair, about this tall." She indicated with her hand.

"Oh yes, right this way miss." I led her back to his table. This must be his girlfriend…

"You dick, why'd you make me come all the way out here?" She snapped before she even sat down.

Hmph, nice girl. I probably shouldn't hang around, I might regret it... I quickly retreated to the kitchen to get him another drink, but I was going to try and take all the time in the world. Nothing like being dragged into a customer's argument…

Just my luck, his meal came out just as I went through the door, so now I _had_ to pick up the pace… damn it! I grabbed the plate and went back to his table. I could hear yelling before I even made it around the corner from the kitchen.

"You stupid piece of shit!" the girl shrieked. Everyone in the restaurant had gone quiet and started staring. I wonder if I should even go to the table…. I decided to chance it. Just as I got close, the girl snatched the plate out of my hand and threw it at him, along with his drink. "I hope you rot in hell you fucking faggot!" She stood, shoved me aside and stormed out. I stood there, stunned.

"I-I I'm so sorry! If you like I'll get my manager and—"

"No, it's fine. I guess I kind of brought it on myself. I'll still pay for the food; it's just too bad I didn't get to taste it." He said while picking bits of food off of his clothes. How can he be so chill about being covered in food and wine? I darted off to find my manager and explain the situation. She grumbled for a while before ordering me to get him a free dessert. I nodded and scrambled back to his table. I flagged Olette down on my way. I handed her the check and some money. "Olette cash this and clock me out please, I've got to take care of this." She nodded and went to the back. I was thanking every god under the sun I decided to forgive her.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. You can shower at my place." I said, taking Axel by the hand.

"But what about the check?" He asked while still picking food from his shirt and jeans.

"I took care of it. C'mon we've gotta get you clean or you'll stink. Where'd you park?"

"I didn't drive. My car's acting up so I caught a ride." I gave him a 'are you serious?' look which he returned with an innocent smile. "Honest. My car's in the shop."

"So you come to dinner with no car?" I asked, dragging him to my car. "What, you were expecting me to take you home?"

"Maybe. It's your turn for movie night anyway, remember?"

I scoffed and started the car. "If you're still hungry I can make you something."

"Mmm, like what?"

"Well I can make what you ordered. It's a pretty good recipe."

"Oooh, does this mean I finally get to taste your cooking?" Axel cooed, leaning over and laying his head on my shoulder.

"Yeah I guess. Just try not to get it all over you this time." I said which made him laugh.

"Well since you made it I'm sure I can manage."

I pulled the car up to the dark house. I guess Light already left. Damn I thought I'd be home in time. "My cousin isn't home." I said while unlocking the front door and leading Axel to the hall bathroom. "So feel free to use the upstairs bathroom."

"No, I can use this one." He said, examining the bathtub.

"Alright, I'll go grab you a towel and some shampoo."

"Kay."

I went upstairs to my bathroom, grabbed the fluffiest towel and washcloth along with a bar of Dove and my bottle of Infusium. I stopped by my room to kick my shoes off before padding back downstairs to the bathroom.

"Knock knock." I said, pushing the door open with my elbow. The water was running and the bathroom was already full of steam. I nearly dropped everything I was holding when I caught sight of Axel. He was already stripped to the waist, and was unzipping his jeans when I walked in. This was my first time seeing him completely shirtless and hot damn, what a sight. "H-here ya go." I shoved everything into his hands, snatched up his shirt and retreated to the hall. "Leave the rest of your clothes by the door and I'll wash them." I shouted through the door. A moment later Axel peeked his head through the door and handed me his jeans, socks and boxers.

"Make sure you wash my shirt in cold water, gentle cycle." He said before disappearing back into the bathroom. I went to the laundry room, taking care to follow his instructions and then returning to my room to throw on some sweats and a tank top. I put my phone on its charger before returning downstairs and heading towards the kitchen. Axel came out of the bathroom just as I reached the landing.

"So that's some damn good water pressure." He said, turning to face me. "I'm assuming my clothes aren't done."

"No they just—" I looked over at him and literally lost the ability to speak for a moment. He was standing there in nothing but a towel draped low around his waist, hip bones peeking out slightly. His hair was still wet, leaving water rivulets trailing down his arms and chest. I gaped at him, opening and closing my mouth.

"You alright there, Fishy?" He said with an amused smile.

"I u-uh I-I mean you um… uh… robe?" Oh geez Roxas, what was that? Embarrassed, I went to the living room and sat on the couch.

Axel threw his head back and laughed, following me. "What? Are you asking if I want a robe?"

"Y-yeah… but only Light has a robe…"

"I don't think she'd be thrilled about me messing up her stuff. I'll just air dry." He said before sitting on the couch next to me. I shot up, nearly clearing the coffee table. Axel looked at me quizzically. "What is wrong with you?"

"Y-you um…"

"Roxas, I'm not going to hurt you, calm down. Does me being naked bother you?"

"W-well… a little… I-I'd give you a pair of boxers but they probably wouldn't fit…"

"Why does it bother you?" He was looking dead at me, those piercing green eyes burning a hole right through me.

"W-well you have a girlfriend… right? And you like me right? I don't want you to ch—"

"Look, I broke up with her. You think she'd just throw food at me for no reason? I dumped her Rox. So calm down, alright?"

"A-alright…" I sat back down, very aware of Axel's nakedness.

"I hope my clothes are done before your cousin gets home. This'd be a weird thing to come home to." He said after a moment.

"Oh she's been stationed at Lake Bresha for a few months. She won't be home for a while." I said, flipping through the TV guide.

"Oh? So you've got this big house all to yourself until she comes back?"

"Basically."

"Hm." Was his response. He stood lazily. "I left my phone in the bathroom. Be right back." I watched him walk away, the wet towel clinging to his butt. Well would you look at that. As skinny as he is, Axel's got a nice ass. I yawned and kicked my leg up on the couch as I made another cycle through the TV guide. I'll move my leg when he comes back.

"Wanna watch a movie?" I called, fed up with finding nothing on TV.

"No." Axel was by the arm of the couch one second and on top of me the next. He had me trapped with his arms on either side of my head. He leaned down, breathing heavily.

"A-Axel?"

"Roxas… I told you I want to be with you, and I'm tired of waiting now." He replied huskily. His still wet hair hung around the sides his face, dripping water on my cheeks. He leaned closer, and just like last time, I could feel his breath on my lips, his body heat washing over me, his scent filling my nose.

"B-but—!"

"Shut up." Axel mumbled before pressing his lips to mine. My lips were instantly on fire. The kiss was so hot I almost started sweating. He slowly pressed his body into mine, wetting my clothes. He moved a hand to my cheek before sliding it back to the nape of my neck while his leg slid against my thigh. He kissed me with such need it was making my head swim. There was a sudden sharp pain as he grabbed a fistful of hair and tilted my head back to deepen the kiss. I let out a whimper and wrapped my arms around him as he kissed and nipped down my neck to my collarbone, nibbling on the sensitive skin there. It felt so goooood… Seems like forever since I've done anything like this…

Suddenly his lips left my skin and he was yanking my shirt off. Axel's lips crashed down onto mine and he pressed his crotch against mine, our erections rubbing together through my sweatpants. I whimpered again, winding my fingers in his wet crimson locks. He groaned and rocked his hips a bit when I gave an accidental tug and he suddenly started kissing me with more want, more need. I couldn't tell if we were slick with water or with sweat as hands roamed all over each other, rubbing, groping, touching, with his hips rocking against mine. Axel started trailing blazing hot kisses down my chest and stomach before pulling my pants off and kissing his way back up. Oh God, he wants to have sex!

"Ah-Axel, w-wait…" I panted against his lips. He growled, biting on my bottom lip.

"No, I've waited enough… You'll like it, I promise" He said, reaching down to undo the towel with one hand while reaching for my boxers with the other.

"Axel I'm n-not—"

"Roxas are you ho—Oh!"

Axel and I froze. Suddenly it was ice cold in the room. Lightning stood in the doorway to the living room, face bright red and eyes averted to the floor. Axel vaulted over the back of the couch and out of her line of sight as I scrambled to get my shirt and sweats back on.

"L-L-Light I thought I'd missed you! I mean I assumed you'd left already!" I babbled on, completely mortified.

"I um… I was just stopping by to tell you goodbye and leave you some money for the bills but I can see that you are… preoccupied… S-so I will just leave it here." She placed a small stack of cash on the end table next to the doorway before turning on her heel and literally running out of the house. I dropped back down onto the couch and hid my face in my hands.

"Well that was… awkward." Axel muttered, returning to the couch.

"That's the understatement of the century!" I cried, flinging my hands in the air.

"Well at least she didn't stay and ask questions. Or she could have gotten mad and thrown us both out of here." He said boredly, kicking a leg up onto the coffee table. "But it's a good thing she left, I think I want some more kisses. Did you know you're a fantastic kisser Rox—"

"What is your problem!?" I snapped. I was pissed. I was pissed because I was embarrassed at being caught doing something so inappropriate in _her_ house after I had just told Light yesterday that we were just friends and I was pissed because Axel was acting like it was no big deal! His mind was only on one thing.

"Excuse me?" He folded his arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"I asked you what your problem is! Why'd you do all of that?" I stood and crossed my arms.

Axel's eyebrows snapped together angrily. "Well you weren't fucking complaining while it was happening."

"Actually I fucking did. I tried to tell you I didn't want to have sex but you were too busy trying to bust a nut!" I yelled. "What am I to you!? Am I really your friend or just a one night stand? You were just going to fuck me then never even look in my direction again right? Is that it? I must look like one hell of an easy lay to you huh!?"

I hadn't realized I was crying until Axel grabbed my wrist and yanked me into his lap. He cradled me close to his chest, letting me curl up in his arms like a baby and it made me cry harder. I hadn't been held by anyone it what seemed like forever.

"I'm sorry…" I sobbed. "I'm so so sorry." I kept repeating it, constantly sniffling and futilely wiping at the tears pouring down my face. Axel was shushing me gently while stroking my hair

"Shush shush Roxas, it's okay. You don't need to apologize." He said, giving me a squeeze. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way." He murmured into my hair as he picked me up and started heading upstairs. I was reduced to sniffling and hiccupping when he made it to my room. Without letting me go he laid me down on the bed and slid under the comforter with me, pulling me close. Axel continued to run his fingers through my hair while whispering things to me. Eventually I stopped crying and sniffling, falling asleep on his chest with his arms wrapped around me.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**Yet another chapter for you my dear roses! It was a long one, yes I know. But I hope you enjoyed it, therefore making it worth the length and worth the wait! More backstory comin' at ya next chapter!**

** Let me know how I did! Review please and thank you!**

**Yours,  
Melodious Authoress**


	10. Chapter 10

_(A/N:) Hello Dear Roses! There could be some upsetting things in this chapter since I explain Xion's death, and I don't want you guys flipping out so proceed with caution, alright? No go and enjoy this chapter and have a lovely day my Lovey Roses!_**_ - Melodious A._**

* * *

I could hear birds chirping as I slowly drifted into the waking world. I lie still with my eyes closed, listening to the loud tweets signaling that it was daylight. Not quite ready to get up, I stretched my limbs before snuggling deeper into the warmth.

"Mm quit it, that tickles…"

I shot upright, wide eyed in shock to see Axel—a very naked Axel—in bed next to me, covered partially with only a towel. I gawked at him for a moment before launching into a slew of questions. His arm shot out, pulling me down onto his shoulder and effectively silencing me.

"Well good morning to you too, Sunshine." He said, lazily cracking an eye to look down at me. His eye slid closed again and he just smiled, letting out a huge sigh. "How nice it is to wake up and see you there next to me Roxas." He muttered before suddenly shifting onto his side, my head now resting on one of my pillows.

"Axel…?" I started. He hummed in acknowledgement. "D-did we…?"

"No, we didn't…" He blinked at me before frowning and sighing again. "Roxas, I need to ask you something." He propped himself up on an elbow. "I want for us to be together. I can't explain why but I feel such a strong bond with you, and I think about you all the time, almost non-stop. Rox… I… I want to date you… Will you…" He looked me directly in the eyes. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

"I-I…" I was taken aback. Not wanting to look him in the eye, I rolled away. "You'd get hurt… We'd both end up unhappy… I'm not the best of partners after all…"

He grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to face him.

"Roxas, with all the time we've spent together I consider you my best friend. I think I know you and trust you better than anyone. I—"

"No Axel, you don't. You may think you know, but I haven't told you… everything…" I sat up, wrapping my arms around my knees. "I'm a horrible, selfish person and I'm only needed for fucking. I'm not boyfriend material…"

Axel was quiet for a moment. "… Is that why you were crying last night? Because you thought I only wanted sex?"

I looked at my toes before curling them into the sheets. "Yeah… That's all any guy ever wanted from me… Besides I'm… I'm still trying to get over something…" I felt his hand on the small of my back.

"Want to talk about it? I won't judge, I promise Rox." I sighed and flopped down into my pillows and looked over at Axel, those green eyes filled with concern. Where do I even start? From the beginning I guess…

"Xion and I were best friends. We spent a lot of time together and did basically everything together. She always counted on me to make her feel better. You see, her mom was always working and her step dad was an asshole who abused her. Whenever they got into an argument, her step dad would always take it out on her.

"Most times Xion was lucky enough to get away before the arguments got bad. She'd always sneak through my window and lay with me. I'd hold her close and we'd talk, or sometimes she'd just cry. Sometimes she didn't get away though, but she'd still come see me."

Axel made an apologetic sound, but let me continue.

"I cared for her so much. I'd always tell her that no matter what, I'd always love her, and I'd always be there for her…"

"You loved her?" Axel asked with a small frown.

"Yeah, but like a sister. I… I never told her that I was struggling with my sexuality. Hell I never told anyone… but I should have…" I paused and took a deep breath. "One night Xion came to see me and she was beat up pretty bad. When she got in my bed, she kissed me and begged me to help her forget, at least for one night…"

Axel's eyes grew wide. "You didn't…!"

"I did… We did… She cried the entire time, and it made me feel even weirder. We started dating after that, and even stayed together when we graduated high school and went to different colleges. I was good to her though. Anything she asked for, she got it… but in honesty I was really just going through the motions… Then I met Vanitas. We started talking and hanging out and I slowly became attracted to him, and I know he could tell… I started blowing Xion off more and more often. I even started kicking her out some nights, giving her half ass excuses…

"There was this one night when I went to a party with Olette— she's another friend of mine— and we got completely and utterly drunk. When I finally made it home I found _my_ parents having an argument in the yard. Since I was wasted, I didn't feel like being bothered with their shit so I went to Vanitas' place. How I even made it without crashing is beyond me. So by this time we'd been flirting and crap for weeks. Anyways, he noticed I was drunk and offered me to stay the night. He got me is his bed and… '_Persuaded_' me to have sex with him."

I stopped when I noticed the angry look on Axel's face. He had the meanest scowl on his face, but he said nothing.

"A-and… Xion called several times, and left several voice messages… Vanitas got angry and asked who she was and I…" I choked, trying hard not to tear up. "And I told him she was _nobody_ like a fucking scumbag! When I finally saw her again… Oh god you should have seen her… She looked like a ghost. A beat up ghost. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong or what had happened or anything. All she kept saying was, 'you weren't there Roxas.' I got annoyed because she wouldn't tell me and made her leave… Later that week my parents had another argument so I went to see Vanitas again and we… you know… did it again…

Axel's eyes narrowed, but still he said nothing.

"Xion called shortly after. She was crying and hysterical… That's when she told me everything… her step dad had been raping her… and now she was scared that she was pregnant… Before I could even respond, Vanitas took my phone and hung up on her. I got angry and we argued and he accused me of cheating… I guess I was. But then again I was cheating on them both wasn't I? Anyway, I told him that I was with Xion first and that he didn't even really matter to me and we were never dating in the first place. He threw me out and I immediately went to look for Xion. I looked for her until six in the morning.

"I finally found her when I went home. She was curled up on my bed, crying. I held her and she cried for what seemed like hours. When she finally stopped, I told her the truth. About everything. When I finished explaining, she just shook her head and left. She might as well have slapped me across the face." I said miserably. Sighing, I scrubbed my hands down my face.

"I locked myself in my room until Xion texted me later that night… Her mom found the pregnancy test and was going to throw her out… In the message she said she was going to look for a way out and she was going to the clock tower to think… I wanted to talk to her face to face again so I set out to meet her at the clock tower… Oh god I wish I had just _known_!" I said, slamming a fist against the mattress. Axel gingerly placed his hand over mine and gave it a light squeeze.

"I-it was raining a little by the time I got there, just a drizzle really, but I didn't see her anywhere so I figured she'd just climbed up to the observing platform… I decided to call her to make sure, but she didn't answer… but suddenly I heard a noise near the entrance of the tower so I went and investigated… It was her phone, completely destroyed from the fall… I…I…" Swallowing hard, I tried not to break down.

"I looked up, and I could see her standing at the edge… I screamed and pleaded for her to stop… I watched… I watched her fall… and I watched her die…" I managed to say before breaking into sobs.

"Oh Roxas…" Axel hugged me to his chest, holding me tight. He let me stay there until I couldn't cry anymore. "Roxas, thank you for telling me that… I'm sorry you had to experience something like that and I'm sorry you lost someone so close to you…" He ran his fingers through my hair as my sniffles subsided.

"The incident made the news…" I said after I had calmed down enough. "After I was interviewed my mom saw fit to send me to counseling. The counselor suggested I tell my mom about my feelings and my sexuality because usually moms are more understanding, right? Yeah so I told her, but my dad overheard from the next room. He's not one for… those kinds of things... Needless to say the shit hit the fan… He threw me out and tried to take my tuition money away, but luckily only mom had a say-so over that matter. I moved in with Light and graduated from school the following year. I tried dating still, but came to realize I had lingering feelings for Vanitas… I tried to rekindle that relationship but that was a disaster and I was even more heartbroken… I didn't try dating again, not wanting to get hurt, nor hurt anyone else, again…" I sighed.

"Roxas, I promise you I don't just want you for sex, and I think our bond is even stronger now. But if you say no to my question, I completely understand and I won't bother you anymore."

I looked up at him, studying his face. "I'll answer your question if you answer mine honestly."

He gave me a puzzled look but nodded anyway. "Sure, shoot."

"You had a plan yesterday, didn't you?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you thought long and hard about how you wanted yesterday to go, didn't you? Why else would you ask when I get off from work, show up on my last hour and break up with your girlfriend basically right in front of me? _Then_ how convenient it is that Light wasn't home? Well, we still got caught but you know where I'm coming from."

Axel looked away before grinning sheepishly at me. "Alright you caught me. I wanted everything to be perfect so I could ask you last night but fate was against me I guess." He chuckled. "I happened to run into Lightning while she was on duty the day before and we chatted for a bit. She told me about her assignment and I figured yes, now I can definitely have Roxas to myself at his place!"

"But Light's usually at work when you're here anyway, so that doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, but she always comes home doesn't she? Now shush and let me finish." He said, pressing a finger against my lips. "I wanted to sleep your bed and cuddle and everything else without your cousin flipping her shit about it. Heh, I guess I got to anyway huh?"

"Yeah I guess so… Look Axel, I… I don't know if I can be with you… I mean… Yeah, I like you, I like you a lot in fact but… I don't want to get sucked in and have my heart broken again, or watch something happen to you. You can never love someone as much as you can miss them… I don't want to love you, and then miss you more than I loved you…

Axel smiled softly before pulling me to his chest. "Rox, nothing's gonna happen to me. Don't you know I'm harder to get rid of than a roach?"

I chuckled. "Well yeah, that's true… Alright Axel, I've got an answer for you… My answer is yes."

**XxxxxxxxxX**

**And here I am with the next chapter c: I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Review Please and thank you!**

**Yours,  
Melodious Authoress**


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